Summer Love
by Blondie B. Happy
Summary: Annabeth is convinced that life will never be like a happy song, so she tries to keep it real. She decides to spend some time with her dad over the summer in Naples. She'll be working at the Waldorf Astoria Resort there for three months. It just so happens that a certain Percy Jackson is the lifeguard. Annabeth may not believe in love stories, but will he change that for her? AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

**I stayed in Naples, Florida at the Waldorf Astoria a few years ago, and it remains to this day my favorite beach (I love it even more than the beach I live at). Look it up on Google Images (search Waldorf Astoria in Naples) and you'll see how gorgeous it is. So I decided to write a story that'll last throughout the summer and end before school starts again. I know; it's spring. But better early than never…? Yeah, sooo, here ya go! Sorry for typos/OOCness. **

**Enjoy!**

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"_Cause you were mine for the summer, now we know it's nearly over. Feels like snow in September, but I always will remember. You were my summer love. You always will be my summer love."_

I sighed as the One Direction song played on my iPod, and I pressed skip. I buckled up in the plane and glanced out the window, suddenly grateful that I had gotten the window seat. The two men in my row could've been Mama June. They were that big and gross, and their shirts had grease stains. Their heads were balding, and one of them had a piece of his lunch in his beard.

My little brothers had pranked me a few weeks ago by going on my iTunes account and ordering a One Direction album with my own money. Now, I was ten dollars short and stuck with boy bands. And weird people in airplanes.

There was a reason I listened mostly to alternative. The lovey-dovey pop songs didn't exactly do it for me, because they were all so fake and overused. They all sounded the same, whereas alternative actually had a good beat, good lyrics, and good singers.

Thank God I still had my old music on there too. The Killers 'Somebody Told Me' came on next, and I relaxed back into the leather seats. Fatty #1 burped next to me, and I turned up the music to block out their sounds. Closing my eyes, I let the music overcome my mind and body.

A few minutes later, Fatty #2 poked me, and I opened my eyes and stared at him. My gray eyes could be startling and unnerving to some people. He blinked and stared back for a second and then gestured to a flight attendant standing next to him, hand behind her back. She said something, but I couldn't hear.

I took my Beats off of my head and said, "Excuse me, could you repeat that?"

Her smile was so fake that I wanted to laugh. "All electronics need to be off as the plane takes off. You can put your MP3 player back on once we've reached a suitable altitude." She was wearing one of those perfect blue suits that had been ironed ten thousand times, and her hair was up in a tight bun. The smile looked plastered.

I grumbled something about it being an iPod and turned it off, keeping my Beats around my neck. I shoved the iPod into my purse and snatched out a pack of gum, a book, and some food. I looked back at the attendant, and she nodded once and spun on her heels and left.

I rolled my eyes, and the two fatties were still staring at me. Actually, it wasn't only them. Half of the people on the plane were staring at me with wide, curious eyes. It was actually sort of embarrassing, and I didn't even know any of them.

Putting my head down, I fixed the plastic tray connected to the seat in front of me and set my muffin and Sprite on it. I took out a piece of Key Lime Pie flavored gum and started to chew on it, hoping that it would help with the air pressure changes. I flipped through my book without even knowing what I was reading.

Out of my peripheral vision, I could see the people slowly turning around and murmuring to one another in quiet whispers. With relief, I relaxed again and felt my shoulders sag again. I turned my head to looked back out the window.

The runway looked clean and pristine, which was funny, since it was the LaGuardia airport in New York. Of course, I could still see the terminals, and they looked like they had been through an earthquake. The glass was falling out and cracked like someone had taken a machine gun and decided to go crazy with it.

The lady who had talked to me started making announcements. "Please take out the safety guide located on the side pocket of your seats and read it." Since everyone else was, I decided to do the same, even though I had flown so many times that I could recite the words in my sleep.

"In an emergency situation, there are exits in the front and the back of the plane. Your seats are already floatation devices that you can activate my yanking the cord. And in case of oxygen loss, there's…" Her words just kind of went on and on after that. I yawned loudly to make a point. It drew her attention for a minute, but she went back to being PanAm Barbie in a flash.

Once she was done, she concluded with, "It is currently 12:30. The flight is expected to take two hours and forty-five minutes, which means that we should be arriving in Orlando/Sanford International Airport at around 3:15. Enjoy your flight!"

The lady disappeared into some part of the plane, and it began to move down the runway, away from the terminal. I chewed on my gum a little more persistently. Fatty #1 farted suddenly, and I gagged inwardly and scooted closer to the window.

I glanced down at the book that I was reading. I had packed so many that I wasn't sure which one I had grabbed, and then I had even bought some at the store inside the airport. I smiled since it was one of my favorites.

I smoothed my hand across the cover and read, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs." The cover was black and white and showed a creepy little girl in a dress, tights, and tiara. She wasn't smiling. She almost looked dead, like from a horror movie. But she was floating in the air.

One of the main reasons I liked the book was the artwork. Reading was my life, but the pictures in it had an elegant and Victorian feel to it. Plus, it wasn't all about the romance, like those pop songs, which was an added bonus.

I looked at the page that my thumb was hooked in and read a little bit from it on page 186. _She moved to pinch me again but I blocked her hand. I'm no expert on girls, but when one tries to pinch you four times, I'm pretty sure that's flirting. _

I laughed inwardly and continued reading it as the plane got faster and faster, and we took off through the air. I stopped reading for a second when my ears started to pop, and we hit turbulence too. The plane jerked and my stomach fell. I gripped my chair for a minute and set my book down, trying to straighten out my scrambled brain.

Eventually the plane leveled out, and attendants came by to ask us if we wanted anything to eat. I told them no thank you, and went back to reading my book.

It only took me a short amount of time to finish the rest of the book from where I had started. I slowed down by the last page and read the final paragraph. I liked it when books didn't have happy endings, because it always left you dreaming about what would happen next.

_Then Bronwyn lowered the camera and raised her arm, pointing at something beyond us. In the distance, black against the rising sun, a silent procession of battleships punctuated the horizon. We rowed faster. _

I flipped through the vintage photographs one more time before putting the book back into my purse. We had reached the 'proper place for electronics to be allowed.'

I took my iPod out and put it on shuffle, then listened to the random songs that came on. I wanted to fall asleep, but I couldn't bring myself to do so. And then, of course, the same One Direction song, 'Summer Love', came on, singing the exact same lyrics about losing who you love because summer's over.

I was so going to get my brothers back once I got home at the end of the summer. I skipped the song again and listened to the Muse that came on afterwards, and somehow, I fell asleep for just a few moments.

Well, it didn't last that long. We hit another spot of turbulence and Fatty #2 fell down on me, right across my lap. I woke up with a start and threw my hands into the air. He was sprawled on top of me, clearly because he hadn't bothered to put a seatbelt on. Wait… what if the seatbelt didn't even fit?

My Beats were knocked off somewhere, and I saw a little more of that man than I wanted to. And he smelled like old pork skins. I gagged and tried to throw him off, which didn't work. The guy weighed a freaking ton.

Shivering, I tried to push him off of me, but it was a failed attempt. Finally, his buddy used his arms and actually helped pull him off. By that time, my blonde hair was sweaty and matted in my face, and he looked tired.

The happy attendant was at the front of the plane, and was it my imagination, or did she smirk right at me?

Shaking my head, I turned off my music and watched a little bit of the Walking Dead. It was sort of romantic, in a gory, eat-your-face-and-turn-you-into-a-walker kind of way. The Walking Dead never had a happy ending, like the books I read and the music I enjoyed. And soon, I went through an entire, one-hour episode with tears in my eyes as I watched Andrea die in the season finale.

More people were staring at me like they had never seen a girl cry before. I almost flipped a little off, but then thought better of it. The lady attendant would probably love any reason to throw me off the plane while it was still in the air.

Before I knew it, everyone was shutting off their electronics because we were getting ready to land at the Orlando airport. That was where my dad would pick me up and give me a hug. That was where I would see him for the first time in two years (Skype excluded). This was where I would wither away in my silence for three months.

And then he would take me to his giant house in Naples, and I would be bored at the beach with no friends, but I would stay just to make my dad happy.

And my summer would look like a pop song on the outside, but it was going to be more depressing than the Walking Dead on the inside.

Let the fun begin.

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**Review please! This is gonna be a sappy story, but everyone needs a little sappiness sometimes. **

**-BBH**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, Enjoy!**

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Once they opened the doors of the plane, I jumped out of my seat and lunged across the Fatties. God knows how long it would take for them to get up.

I opened up the compartment above my head and pulled down my carry-on suitcase. It had all of my books, swimwear, and toiletries inside of it, plus a few things to remind me of home. I had some CD's and pictures. But, well, a small bit of my library was inside of it. I could only hope that Naples had a library too.

I bumped into multiple people, causing curses to fly and kids to cry. I actually felt a little bad when I knocked into an elderly lady, who was sent flying back into her seat. I cringed for a second.

Fatty #1 and Fatty #2 were still trying to help each other up. They were probably going to have to ask the attendants for help sooner or later. Rolling my eyes, I managed to set the heavy suitcase on the ground. I secured my purse over my shoulder, set my headphones around my neck, and tried to pretend I was a fashion model as I strutted my way down the long aisle.

Okay, people were definitely staring now.

I said small apologies to those I had knocked into. They were only returned with glares and snot-filled three year olds. Well, my attempts of forgiveness were turned down.

When I reached the front, I gave Mrs. Barbie a sickly sweet smile and let my eyes bore into her. She didn't back down from my gaze, but she gulped. Score! I laughed a little as I rolled my carry-on off of the plane.

Compared to some of the other airports I had been to, Orlando/Sanford was small… BWI and Dulles were huge, LaGuardia was CRAZY, and in Boston, you had to take a bus to get the different terminals. Orlando was very clean, though. And the people there seemed fairly nice.

Of course, I was way ahead of anyone else that came off of the plane. My legs felt unused from those few hours on the flight. My arms and legs hurt, but I had to go to Baggage Claim to get the rest of my stuff.

Right now, the worst thing that could happen was one of the Fatties mistaking my luggage for their own. Mine was pink, so that people strictly knew it meant that it was girls. Most people had black luggage, and they always got it mixed up.

Before anything else, I ran into the girl's bathroom, because using the bathroom on a plane was nauseating and gross. The only bad part was that I had to take all of my stuff into the stall with me, because some loser was bound to steal it.

I splashed some water on my face and wiped with partly with my hands and partly with a towel. I felt hot and uncomfortable, which was crazy since I was wear a ratty Gap t-shirt and old Yoga pants. I sighed and pulled my hair back again into a horrible ponytail. My dad probably wouldn't even recognize me.

Thankfully, there weren't that many people at the airport. The place had directions hanging from the ceiling with arrows pointing in different directions in case you got lost. But the place was so small that it was kind of hard to get lost.

When I reached baggage, I was partially disappointed to not see my dad waiting there for me. I didn't want to spend the summer with him, but it still would've been nice to be greeted by him. And I already had two bags that I would've liked help with. Now I had to get my giant one all by myself.

It was over 200 miles and almost four hours from Sanford to Naples, which was going to be a long ride with my dad. It would've been quicker if I could've flown to Miami, but the flights were cheaper to Sanford, and I was using my own money. My dad wasn't paying for this, even though I was going to visit him.

I sat there on a small bench and felt pangs of jealousy as if saw other people being greeted by friends and family.

Back at home, I didn't have that many friends and usually kept to myself. I was seventeen and I hadn't even had a boyfriend. College couldn't come soon enough. Once I got there, my past wouldn't matter. I could start clean.

Then again, I could always try to start clean in Naples. No one there would know me except for those my father knew. Perhaps I could make some friends and have a nice time… but honestly, that didn't seem possible. Nothing came easy to me. Even my perfect grades were a challenge sometimes.

With a deep sigh, I put my Beats back on and flipped through my iPod. The song 'Losing My Religion' by R.E.M. came on. It was a little bit of a classic that I had actually heard from my dad when I was little, back when my parents were living together and life was good.

When that song was over, I almost expected more One Direction to come on, but I was glad when the Script came on after that. I relaxed my back against the wood and cracked my neck.

Crap. The two Fat Friends were waddling up to baggage claim. I pulled out a book and put it over my face like I was a stalker. Silently, I begged that they wouldn't see me and think that I was all airplane-buddy reunion time. I slouched down, hoping I wasn't that noticeable.

A few minutes later, I peeked out from the book, and their backs were facing me as they tried to pick out their luggage. Their bodies may have been big, but their minds were clearly small, because at the head of the line, it said the luggage was coming from a Georgia flight, not New York.

My shoulders shrugged with relief and I checked the book that I was reading now. It was my old paperback of 'Thirteen Reasons Why' by Jay Asher. The cover was creased and almost falling off of the binding. The book was amazing, but haunting. I got shivers down my back every time I read one of those reasons she killed herself.

The back of the book said, _"You can't stop the future. You can't rewind the past. The only way to learn the secret… is to press play."_ And that's what I called good advertising.

I took a sip of my Sprite and looked up from the book. I nearly choked.

My dad was walking into the baggage area, and he was smiling at me. At me. I even looked behind me to make sure he wasn't smiling at someone else, but there was only a wall. Maybe he liked walls?

My dad and I loved each other, but he didn't smile. He was a serious person, and had always been uptight. But clearly, in the two years I hadn't seen him, a lot about him had changed. His brown eyes, normally cold, were welcoming. His blond-ish hair was windblown. He was starting to grow and small beard and mustache. He wore khakis and a dress shirt.

He walked forward some, his arms opened wide like he was expecting a hug. Then he cocked a head to the side and said, "Annabeth, you look like you've seen a ghost."

I had seen a ghost. This was what my dad had used to look like before the divorce. Warm and sweet, not cold. I realized my mouth was pretty much on the ground. I fixed that and stood up. I wrapped my arms around my dad… and it felt nice.

He returned the hug for a few seconds and then pulled back. "I missed you so much Annie. God, you get more and more beautiful every time I see you."

I blushed brightly. "You look great, Dad."

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. The last time he had done that, I had cringed away, because his lips had been cold and awkward. But now, it felt fatherly, and I leaned into his side. He draped an arm over my shoulders. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. The traffic was crazy getting here, so it's probably going to be the same getting back."

"Um… that's okay," I stuttered. This new, cool Dad was foreign to me. I'd been young when he used to be like this. I wasn't sure how to handle him now.

Dad pulled back and looked over to the Baggage Claim. "That's your bag, isn't it? You're still using the same one that you used when you were little. I'll go get it." He went over to the conveyer belt without another word. I hadn't even realized that the sign had changed to show the luggage from the New York flight was there.

He snatched the giant pink bag out of there and rolled it back over to me. "Did you see those two giant guys over there?" he asked, jerking his head to the Fatties. "They could put Mama June to shame."

"You watch Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?" I asked incredulously, arching a brow.

He shrugged and gave me a mischievous smile. "I've seen an episode or two," he admitted.

"Oh, wow. But I was sitting next to them for the entire plane ride. One of them fell on top of me."

His lip curled in fake disgust. "Well, good thing we're going to the beach so that you can wash his stench off of you. He reeked of Big Macs and grits."

"I smelled pork skins."

"Yeah, that too." He walked side by side out of the airport. He had my giant bag and I had my purse and the library. He led me to the parking lot, where his convertible sat. If I hadn't known my dad, I would've thought him to be one of those old retired guys trying to look young by buying nice cars. But my dad was an architect for all of the big mansions in Naples and used to teach college courses on it. He just had a lot of money.

And right after we put my bags in the trunk and I hopped into the passenger's seat, my dad ironically pulled out his wallet and flipped through his money. He pulled out a wad of it and smacked it down in my hand. "This should be enough to cover the costs of the flight. I would've helped pay if you had told me how much it was going to be."

I counted the money and my stomach dropped. Five hundred dollars. That was more than enough, by far. I gaped at him, unable to find words. He put a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to thank me, but you're welcome." He winked.

I snorted and smiled back at him, and it felt right. It wasn't fake.

He turned the car on and pulled out of the airport parking lot. As he swerved onto the road, he flipped on the radio and stuck in a CD. A beachy folk song came on. He nudged me and said, "Sing along." He turned the radio up extra loud.

I laughed since the song was Cheeseburger in Paradise by Jimmy Buffett. Like Losing My Religion, Dad and I used to sing the song together when I was little. I used to know every word, but I hadn't heard the song in years. Surprisingly, all of the lyrics came back to me in an instant.

We were terrible singers, but we sang anyway. _"Heard about the old time sailor men, they eat the same thing again and again. Warm bear and bread they say could raise the dead, well it reminds me of the menu at a Holiday Inn."_

The trip wasn't starting off bad, and I was starting to feel bad about thinking the bad things I did. But I wasn't about to jump to conclusions.

I hated to be proven wrong, and I wasn't sure if I wanted that to happen on this trip. It'd be great if it was a fun trip and worth my time staying there. My dad was already a lot better than I had thought, but I still had no friends and I had never been to Naples before. What was I supposed to do?

But for now, I just leaned back into my chair, the wind blowing my hair, and let Jimmy Buffett soothe my sore muscles.

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**Um... Review please!?**

**-BBH**


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope you all like it! Oh, and this is ****Naples, Florida,**** for everyone who thought this was Italy. Soooo... Enjoy!**

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The song on the radio had just switched to 'Sweet Home Alabama' when we arrived into my dad's neighborhood.

"_Big wheels keep on turning. Carry me home to see my kin, singing songs about the Southland. I miss Alabamy once again, and I think it's a sin, yes." _The long trip hadn't made our singing any better than it was before. We sang the song with very fake country accents.

As he drove down the streets, I tried to memorize my way there, but he took so many twists and turns that eventually, all of the directions that I had mapped out in my head had blended together.

The streets were in pristine condition, not a piece of gravel out of place. There was a single pothole or skid mark on the ground, a first in any place in the world. Like I saw in many pictures, palm trees were abundant in Naples. They grew like weeds in the craziest of places. But there weren't any coconuts hanging from them. I guess some things are just myths.

The homes were overly extravagant. Old people with no jobs and great retirement plans gardened in their front yards. With the convertible's hood down, I listened to everyone. The only sound that was made was that of Lynyrd Skynyrd singing on the radio. I almost wanted to turn it off, afraid that I was breaking the peace.

The lawns and gardens were a perfect green and the blades of grass were all symmetrical. In the dry 100 degree heat, that was pretty insane. The plants looked perfect without a single wilting petal.

Now, the homes were mansions. They each were two to three stories high with terracotta roofing and large wrought-iron balconies. There were pathways leading to pools in the back of the homes. Fancy, ornate objects hung from the doors and little lights lines their homes. Every car in every polished driveway had to be at least 100,000 dollars. I felt like I was in Beverly Hills. I tried to pick out my dream house, but every time I saw a new home, my thoughts were biased.

Since we were a little bit inland, there were no beaches behind the homes. But there was tons of sand. Everywhere.

My hair had come down from the makeshift bun and was slowly strangling me to death as it whipped around my face. Dad laughed at me and I shot him a look that could kill. He took his hands off the steering wheel in surrender. He drove with his knees.

I rolled my eyes. "Please drive normally. I don't feel like dying today."

He shook his head like crazy and did a fake little guitar solo, like the song. Sighing, I reached over the consol and steered for him until he decided to drive again. He lifted his eye brows. "Pretty cool huh?"

"It's gorgeous," I told him earnestly. "I feel like I'm royalty."

We drove in silence for a few more minutes. I examined everything. I almost wanted to dig my camera out of my bag to take pictures, but it was buried under so many books that who knows how long it would take me.

My dad was the first to speak again. "I have a boat now, you know. Maybe one of these days when I'm off from work I can take you down to the docks and show you how to steer it."

Like some sort of emotional crazed twelve year old, I was touched by him actually wanting to do something with me. "I'd love to," I told him, and I actually meant it. "That sounds sort of not lame. But I might ruin the boat and drown us."

"Eh… I'll take the risks."

The neighborhood was never ending and full of twists and turns. The song had already changed from 'Sweet Home Alabama' to 'Queen of California' by John Mayer. When the song came on, I smiled. He was one of my favorite singers.

"_Goodbye cold, goodbye rain. Goodbye sorrow, goodbye shame. I'm headed out west with my headphones on. Boarded a flight with a song in the back of my soul. And no one knows. I just found out her ghost left town. The Queen of California is stepping down, down."_ I was thoroughly surprised when my dad sang along with me. I couldn't believe that he listened to John Mayer too. He winked at me.

Whatever station my dad liked to listen to was amazing.

"Well, we're here," my dad announced and my heart stopped as he pulled into his driveway.

Clearly, my dad had designed it all by himself. This home was probably four stories and might've even had a basement somewhere in there. It sort of looked like a cross between a beach house and a Greek monument. Giant pillars support the front of the house and palm trees lined the very long driveway. There was gate that my dad had to type a code into to get it to open. There was thick foliage around the driveway too, making me feel like we were driving into a jungle.

"Wow…" I sighed in wonder. There was a terrace breaking off from the side of the house to show a huge patio that led to the back. Dad was grinning like a sociopath. My gaze slid to the fountain in the center of the driveway, which was at least two times taller than I was. Water cascaded down from it in the most soothing sound.

Dad parked the car and turned it off. I turned to him. "I knew you were an architect, but I didn't know you were a god."

He laughed. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"How'd you get so much money to do this?" I asked in amazement. Damn myself. I felt like a little kid going to Disney World for the first time, but this house was that beautiful. It was so much better than the apartment that I lived in with the rest of my family in New York.

"I've helped either build, plan out, designed, or maintained most of the building in this neighborhood. And most of the people who live here are old farts. You'd be surprised by how much money they spend sometimes on their homes. And, I invest in good stocks."

"Obviously."

"And, I have a surprise for you," he said mysteriously, getting out of the car and motioning me to follow him. I slid out of the car and followed him as he led me to the garage. He punched in another code and the doors slid up. A red ragtop Jeep was inside. "Tada!"

My jaw dropped. Okay, this day was just getting better and better. "Is this for me?"

"Well, it's mine, but yeah, it's yours to use the entire summer."

He left me standing there for a few minutes as he got my bags inside. I just stared at it. The Jeep wasn't anything amazing, but I'd never had my own car before. I always had to borrow my mom's if I wanted to go anywhere. I wasn't sure how long I stayed there, but my dad came back soon. "Annie, you look like you've seen Betty White naked. Let's go inside now."

Unable to say anymore words, I nodded and followed him through the door in the garage rather than the front door. I was rarely struck speechless, so I hope my dad had some sort of crazy security system that videotaped everything.

The side door opened into the kitchen. It was a culinary dream for any chef with top of the line stainless steel appliances. My luggage was in the corner of the room. Dad sat down at the long counter on a bar stool. "I'm a terrible cook," he informed me suddenly.

I sat next to him. "I know."

"So, before you get lost in the rest of the house, talk to me for a few minutes. How're Bobby and Matthew?"

"Annoying," I answered automatically.

"How so?" he asked, interested.

"Bobby and Matthew pulled this prank on me the other day, thinking they were funny. They bought this One Direction album, Take Me Home, with my money and downloaded it onto my iPod. It sucks because every time I try to listen to music, they eventually come on."

"Who's One Direction?"

God Bless my father for not knowing them. I hoped that he would remain a One Direction virgin for the rest of his life, unlike me and the other unlucky souls. "This annoying boy band that sings pop songs. Like… the Backstreet Boys or something like that."

Recognition flared across his face. He had the same taste in music as I did. "Oh, I get it."

My phone rang then. I forgot that I had turned it on. I almost dropped dead on the tile ground of the kitchen. The freaking ringtone was 'Summer Love' by One Direction_. "You were my summer love…"_

"I'm going to fucking kill them," I swore softly, hoping that my dad wouldn't hear. Unfortunately, he did, but he didn't get mad at me. He laughed silently. Matthew and Bobby had to be behind this, but how that got hold of my phone was beyond me. They were little maniac geniuses.

"I'm guessing that's One Direction."

I dug through my bag and answered the phone without looking to see who was calling. "Hello?"

"Hey, Honey, how are you? How was your flight?" It was Mom.

I mouthed, _Mom_, to my dad, and he nodded understandingly. He adverted his gaze and stared into his hands. You would think that after so many years my mom and dad would be on talking terms, but they weren't at all.

"I'm fine, the flight was fine, Florida is fine," I answered dismissively. I talked with a short tone, showing that I really didn't feel like talking at all. My mom seemed to get the gist of it as she usually did.

"Well, that's nice. I was hoping that everything would be okay. I already miss you." When I didn't say it back, she coughed and carried on like she hadn't said anything. "I'll call you again later. Matthew and Bobby will probably want to talk to you."

Oh, and I wanted to kill them. "Okay, that sounds great. Love you."

"Love you." She hung up and I groaned as the line went dead.

Dad looked up again. "That was short." But he knew everything. My dad was no fool.

I flopped back onto the stool and rubbed my face, which suddenly hurt. I felt like I was getting a headache.

"Annabeth, I'm glad you're here. It's nice for you to visit. What's mine is yours, so you can use the house for whatever you want as long as you don't vandalize it. The car is yours to use. You can do whatever you want. If that means going to the beach, then fine. Have fun, because it is beautiful. If you wanna read all day, have at it. I've added onto my collection." My dad was one crazy boo nerd. He had enough books to open a library.

"But, I have one condition."

I turned to him. "Okay, that sounds reasonable. What is it?"

"You need to get a job."

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**And take a guess who she's gonna meet at that job...:) Review please!**

**-BBH**


	4. Chapter 4

**Clearly, I need to address this: I LOVE ONE DIRECTION! Seriously; I want Niall to marry me. I am a Directioner, but you guys need to lay off with the, "Why do you hate them so much?" comments. It's just a story. **

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He's joking, right?

That night, I sat in my new room watching Pretty Little Liars reruns. Actually, I wasn't really watching them. I was only watching the opening theme to the episodes, because I loved the song that they played.

"_Got a secret, can you keep it? Swear this one you'll save. Better lock it, in your pocket, taking this one to the grave. If I show you then I know you won't tell what I said. Cause two can keep a secret if one of them is dead…"_

After the first season ended, I started watching Jeopardy reruns. I didn't lie to brag, but I was pretty smart. I had perfect grades in school, top of my class. I had even been captain of the track team. I knew almost every answer before the people on the screen did. The only thing I hated about the show was the host, Alex Trebek. Every time he said, "Oh, no, you were one year off," I wanted to punch a hole through my TV. He only knew that because he had little cards in his hand telling him the answers.

I had to get a job, because my dad told me some crap about how I needed to take some responsibility in my life and start making a decent income and broaden my horizons. And if I didn't take the job, I was going to have a boring summer.

I didn't even get to choose my own job. When I accepted his terms, he said he had already called into the Waldorf Astoria hotel there and gotten me a job waiting poolside tables. I was to work three days a week, from eleven AM to six PM.

I felt cheated.

And work started tomorrow. I didn't even get a day to relax and settle in. It was like, "Oh, nice to see you after to so long. Love you. And guess what? You got a job. Now get out of my sight and work!" It didn't really go over that well with me. After he had told me that, I stayed pretty quiet for the remainder of my time with him. As soon as I had finished a quick dinner of Chinese Take-Out, I had been up the stairs with my bags, in my night clothes, and in my room.

My cell phone rang, and Summer Love sounded. Groaning, I answered it without looking again. "Hello?"

"HEY ANNIE!" two voices yelled at the same time. I cringed away from the phone as my ears started ringing from the change in pitch. It was my twin brothers, Matthew and Bobby, just as annoying as ever.

"Hey, guys," I started off, and then I made my tone get deeper. "You want to tell me why there's a bunch of One Direction songs on my phone and iPod."

For a few seconds they stayed quiet, and then let out a string of, "I'm sorry!" and "It was just a joke."

"Well, it wasn't really funny, especially since you used my money to purchase it." And just because I was the big sister, I added, "You guys also don't realize that I can just hook my iPod up to my computer and remove the songs. Your evil plan has now failed."

"But… you can't do THAT!" one of them said.

"Give me one good reason," I challenged, getting off my bed and turning on my old laptop. It was battered up but still worked fine. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't just delete the song from my library."

I think Bobby said, "That's… um, wasting ten dollars?"

"You already wasted my money. It doesn't really matter anymore. Nice try." The starting screen popped up and I quickly typed in my password, but I did so loudly so that they knew that they're running out of time.

"They're music isn't that bad?" they tried.

"No, it's not, but it's not my kind of music, and you guys know that. I can respect them as singers I guess, but I really do not like their music, and I don't feel like listening to them. Try again, but three strikes and you're out."

There was a very long silent pause. I started counting the seconds that passed. One, two, three, four…

"Because… it just ruins everything!" one of them, perhaps Matthew, exclaimed.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked calmly. "Ruins what?"

"It ruins that joke!" they said. "You can't take the songs off. You have to keep them on there until you come back to New York. Please! Pinky promise!"

"Okay, I can't pinky promise anything over the phone. And if I keep the songs on my iPod, they'll just keep coming on. Even if I play a different playlist, I'll forget one day I'll have to keep listening to their songs, and somehow, someone is gonna pull another prank on me and it'll be the same ringtone. I don't want that to happen! I…" I trailed off, stopping myself from saying more.

I was acting like a whiny bitch.

Of course I was mad, and I hated to be taken advantage of. It turned me into a T Rex, because I would try to destroy everything because of it and then start complaining about having short arms or something. I was acting like a terrible role model, even if I was super duper mad.

"Please promise," they pleaded again.

"Fine. I promise. Now, I got to go." I didn't have to go. I had all night, but I was just sick of having to talk to them. I wasn't sure if that made me a bad sister, but I didn't really care. I had very important matters to contemplate.

Again, they paused. I groaned. But then, in their happy little-kids voices, they chimed, "Bye!"

"See you later." Much, much later.

After the line was dead, I snatched my laptop up and flopped back down on the bed. I stared at the ceiling and sighed loudly. I could delete the songs still, because they would never know. I wasn't going to see them for three months, so I wouldn't matter.

I clicked on the iTunes icon. My iPod was next to me too. The USB was in my bag. Only a few clicks and I would be rid of the songs. They wouldn't know anything, and then I could just put the songs back on before I came home and they wouldn't suspect a thing.

And somehow, even after the huge ordeal that I had just had with my little brothers, I couldn't bring myself to take off the songs.

I didn't like breaking promises. And after all, I had promised them I wouldn't delete the songs. I mean, it was a pretty good joke, believe it or not. I just didn't like being on the receiving end. I didn't like One Direction, but I kept the songs on my iPod. I was just going to have to suffer for those three months.

I was very glad that an iPod had a skip button.

I yawned, sort of tired from all of the travel, and looked around my room. It was nothing too special. I had unpacked all of my clothes and they were in the small closet at the corner. I didn't need to use the dresser except for a few undergarments.

It was cold in the room, but I liked it cold. I had the AC all the way down to 63. There was a really nice flat screen on the wall, above a drawing desk. And just because my dad knows me, he had multiple bookshelves in the room so that I could start collecting books and putting them there. Two of the shelves were already filled with the ones that I had brought, and after I went to the library and Barnes and Noble, there would be many more.

Dad had put an old stereo system in the room too, for me to listen to music on, which was awesome.

My bed was small, and the comforter was blue. The sheets were a lime green, and the pillows were white. The bed skirt was an awkward shade of brown. Now, I wasn't that much into fashion, but I knew when things matched, and that didn't.

After Jeopardy was off, I flipped through the channels, and I laughed when I found SpongeBob Squarepants: The Movie. I quickly clicked on it. I didn't care what anyone said: SpongeBob was one of the funniest cartoons ever. At least, the old one was. The new episodes were fairly weird.

What was I going to do tomorrow? My dad had to work, but he said that he would drive in front of me to show me to the resort. I'd never waited tables before. This was going to be quite an experience.

At least he had gotten me a job at the Waldorf Astoria. Those hotels were crazy nice, and if I had to work at hotel, I would want it to be fairly nice. But this wasn't fairly nice. This was insanely awesome. It was epicly crazy. There weren't enough good adjectives to describe the resort.

I went to Google on my computer and typed up 'Waldorf Astoria Naples Florida', and there it was in all of its glory. The beautiful ocean was behind it in the picture on the website, and it just glistened in to setting sun. I could almost imagine myself sitting on the sandy beach in a skimpy bikini, drinking a Pina Colada while Summer Love played on in the background...

What the heck was I doing? Bad thoughts... really bad thoughts...

I switched my computer off and picked up the closest book. The battered cover said, "The Odyssey by Homer." I wasn't the biggest fan of the book, but I people usually thought of blondes as the dumb ones. I reasoned out that if started to bringing this to the pool and reading it, people might've treated me with higher expectations. It was easier than doing Trig or something at the pool.

I read the book for what I thought was an hour. I skipped around to the parts where Odysseus remembered and retold his time with Calypso, because I found it interesting. Once I saw the back cover, I closed it promptly and relaxed back onto the pillows.

Looking at the time, I found it to actually be around midnight. I had talked to the twins at eight. I needed to sort out my priorities.

Glad that I was already in my pajamas, I pulled the covers over me and waited for sleep to come. It was going to be a hard day, and I was not a morning person at all.

Who knew what I was going to face tomorrow?

* * *

** So, yeah. It was a filler, but hey! I think Percy is gonna be in the next chapter! Review please!**

**-BBH**


	5. Chapter 5

**You wanna take a guess at who's in this chapter? :)**

* * *

The next day, I was following my dad down the roads of Naples inside the Jeep.

I had no idea what song was blasting on the radio, but I needed something to distract me from what I was getting ready to do. Last night, I hadn't wanted to go to the job, but now that it was the morning of the first day, I thought it was going to be sick and ruin the nice Jeep.

The song that stated playing soon was actually pretty good. It was Eminem's 'Love the Way You Lie'.

_"I can't tell you what it really is, I can only tell you what it feels like. And right now it's a steel knife in my windpipe. I can't breathe but I still fight while I can fight. As long as the wrong feels right it's like I'm in flight. High off of love, drunk from my hate, It's like I'm huffing paint and I love it the more I suffer, I suffocate. And right before I'm about to drown, she resuscitates me. She fucking hates me and I love it. Wait! Where you going? 'I'm leaving you.' No you ain't. Come back we're running right back. Here we go again. It's so insane cause when it's going good, it's going great. I'm Superman with the wind at his back, she's Lois Lane. But when it's bad it's awful, I feel so ashamed I snapped. Who's that dude? I don't even know his name. I laid hands on her, I'll never stoop so low again. I guess I don't know my own strength."_

I liked this song because it wasn't one of those over cliché love songs. It showed people how love wasn't always a good thing, and I totally agreed with it. Love Songs were stupid, because love stories only happened in books, never in real life. This song kind of backed up that theory.

At a stop light, I checked my oversized Soccer Mom purse. I had gone all out, having no idea what I would need. I had some cash, my phone, my iPod, toiletries (a woman could never be too sure…), and a few other essential items. I had two types of sunscreen, spray and lotion, plus one of those weird facial stick things. I think I even had aloe in there.

I also had the Odyssey, also for protection against whoever may try and talk to me. I had makeup and my hair brush and hair ties galore. I had way too many receipts from my multiple trips to Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts at the airports. I had a pair of flip flops, an old t-shirt, and a New York Yankees baseball cap that I'd had for years.

Once we arrived at the hotel, my breath just left me.

It was so much more spectacular in person. The hotel was huge, but totally different from the skyscrapers that littered New York. The high-rise hotel was white with a peachy rooftop that looked magnificent in the perfect blue sky.

My dad had obviously been here before. He'd probably helped them with construction. He drove through the beautiful lines of tall palm trees and exotic flowers that I'd only seen in textbooks. Still, I could not see the ocean, but I knew it was out there, past the lines of dense forest.

I parked my car and hopped out, and my dad rolled down his window. "Do you think you can find the lobby without my help?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I said with a shrug. I didn't feel like talking to him.

I leaned forward so that he could kiss my cheek. "Good luck on your first day, honey. Call me if you need anything."

I nodded at waved at him before walking away. I didn't look as I heard his car drive off, but I kept walking through the cars. I was in the employee parking lot, way away from the lobby. It took my five minutes to trek myself through the perfect glass doors, and it was worth it once I saw the inside.

Passing the enormous escalator, I went to the front desk. I was nervous, but I didn't draw out what I was saying. I cut to the chase. "Hi, I'm Annabeth Chase, and I'm supposed to be having a summer job here as a waitress. Would you mind helping me."

The lady, who wore a clean black suit and had her hair in bun, smiled at me and beckoned someone forward. I turned around to see a lady standing behind me with a huge grin on her face. "You must be Annabeth," the lady said, flipping her honey-colored hair over her shoulder. She was drop dead gorgeous. "I'm your… boss, I guess. My name is Calypso, but I'll be your friend here."

Calypso started walking off, and I had no choice but to follow her. We passed the bar and couples waiting to go to their rooms. The furniture was all very modern, like something that I'd see in New York, even though we were at the beach. I was wearing heels that I wobbled in and a navy blue blazer. I felt weird when I saw the tourists wearing Bermuda shorts and bikini tops.

I was definitely going to get lost. I was barely paying attention to where I was going. I was more marveling at the hotel. I was pretty sure I looked crazy with disbelief, but it didn't matter. Even thought I was still mad at my dad, I was happy that I was working at this hotel.

"Today, you won't really be working, but just getting a feel of what this resort is like. I'm gonna show you around and get you comfortable, and we'll start you tomorrow with small tables, how's that?"

I tried to say something but she said, "Okay, so you walk out here to get the pool."

We descended a staircase outside that led to the pool. Calypso talked a mile a minute about everything that was at the resort and about her experiences there. She'd been working here for a year and a half and she loved to show the new people around and was so glad that I was taking a job there. Surprisingly, everything she said felt genuine, and she was every nice. She looked great in her white skirt and polo, and I wondered if I would have to wear that.

She seemed to read my thoughts. "Yes, you will dress like this, but all of that will be given to you today."

The pool was awesome. The water slide was hidden in plain sight, and I watched little kids scream and play around. There were cabanas on the opposite side of the enormous pool with lounge chairs inside of them, already equipped with tables and cotton towels.

I started to regret wearing heels.

"So, this is our pool area." She waved her arms around to gesture to the area. She pointed. "Those tables over there, away from the pool a bit, are where you will be waiting. Not today, but hopefully tomorrow you'll be able to do this." She side stepped a couple walking past us. "Excuse me."

"We'll come back here later, but I want you to become accustomed with the kitchen too, so let's go there." She started walking again and then stopped. "Oh, and I'm sorry if I go fast, but I have to get back to work too."

As I followed her back up the stairs in the now noon-day sun, someone caught my eye. The lifeguard at the edge of the pool was smiling at me. I didn't have enough time to look at him that much, because Calypso had already pulled me inside.

She led us around through one of the indoor dining areas to the kitchen. It was state of the art and huge, and even though not that many people were eating lunch, they ran around like a bunch of madmen with plates and different types of food and dirty dishes.

"It's always very busy in here," Calypso told me, adjusting her name badge. "Just don't get in anyone's way. I learned that once the hard way." She shivered like it was a bad memory.

"You'll get your food and put your orders in here." She showed me this giant stainless steel table. "Now, feel free to walk around in here and talk to them. Just don't annoy them too much, or you'll regret it, trust me. I'll be back for you in…" She check the clock on the wall. "Oh, let's say ten minutes. I have to go check in with the big boss to let him know that you're here. Oh, and you are one of five waiters. If you see them, feel free to ask them stuff too."

Without another word, she glided away from the kitchen. Gulping and then sighing, I studied the people all working so hard at their jobs. What I had to do didn't look too hard, but with my luck, I'd probably drop something all over a two-year-olds head.

Someone cleared their throat and poked me in the back. I whirled around and said, "What?" before even looking to see who it was.

My eyes met a very muscular, well-defined chest, like something out of those sex-crazed adult fantasy romance novels. Good God, I couldn't even believe I had just thought that. I stared like a weirdo for a second and then I slid my gaze up to meet beautiful, sea-green eyes. I didn't usually feel short, but this guy was way taller than I was. Black, wind-blown hair matched the eyes. That hot lifeguard was standing right in front of me, in my personal bubble. Well, this was awkward.

"Oh… I'm sorry," I said sheepishly. I was sure that my face was bright red, which totally didn't help my self-confidence.

He arched a brow at me and didn't respond. His gaze slid over my entire body, judging every inch. Like any other guy, his eyes lingered on a few areas that weren't okay with me. I didn't care how sexy he looked. I didn't want anyone looking at me like that. I snapped my fingers in front of his face. He blinked a few times. "Dude, my eyes are up here, not down there."

He cracked a smile, just the corner of his lips turning up, but he still did not say anything. He leaned against the stainless steel table beside us, resting his head on his hand. I cocked my hip to the side and crossed my arms. "Do you talk?"

"Do you like the Powerpuff Girls?"

"Excuse me?" I was startled by him speaking, but I also didn't understand his question. Where had the Powerpuff Girls even come from? We were in a kitchen! I had no idea how to respond to what he asked.

"I said, do you like the Powerpuff Girls?" he repeated slowly.

"I know what you said," I grumbled. "But I don't see what it has to do with anything."

He shrugged. "I always thought Professor Utonium was kind of like a pedophile, you know? The way he always chased those girls around and called them names… and when they started tickling each other, I was like, 'Creeper Alert!'. But, that's just my opinion. I also think Bubbles is the coolest and Buttercup annoys me. Your thoughts on this subject?"

I gave him the blankest stare I could manage. I didn't know if he was being serious or funny, but either way, I was getting weirded out. "You watch the Powerpuff girls?" I asked incredulously. "No offense, but I thought only five year old girls liked that show?"

"Only the manliest men watch it," he explained to me. "Besides, old cartoons are so much better than the new ones. But are you telling me that you've never watch Powerpuff Girls before? Because that's like a rite of passage into becoming my friend."

"Of course I've watched Powerpuff girls before, but I have no idea what this has to do with anything. I don't even know who the hell you are, so why would I want to become your friend." I hadn't realized that we were still super close to each other. I took a small step backwards, hoping he wouldn't notice.

But the guy took a step forward, a grin across his face. His eyes slid down my figure and then stopped. I followed his gaze to see what he was looking at. He was staring at my purse.

Um…

Once again, I snapped my fingers to get his attention. His head jerked back, just a small bit, but he did not move from his too-close position. "What are you even looking at? I know I have an abnormally large purse, but—"

"You're reading the Odyssey?"

Okay, maybe I hadn't expected that. "Yes, I am," I answered matter-of-factly. "Do you have something against that? Am I completely out of your non-existent 'friend zone' now?" Why couldn't I shut up?

But he didn't get mad. His smile got bigger showing off his not perfect but still awesome teeth. "I just didn't expect someone like you to be reading a book like that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He ran a hand through his messy hair and his green eyes sparkled with mischief. He let his hand drop, almost touching mine, and said, "The Odyssey is just a really good book. It's hard to understand, and you have to be committed to finish it. You just don't seem like someone who would be into reading classic literature, that's all I'm saying."

There were so many smartass comebacks that I could've said to him, but I actually had a genuine question. "You've read the Odyssey?"

His eyes changed from mischief to amusement. He leaned in so close that I could feel his breath on my face. His tilted his head towards my ear. "Nope."

Before I could even respond, he pulled away. "Well, my five minute lunch break is totally over now, but at least I had fun while it lasted. I can't wait to see more of you, Ms. Waitress."

He turned around and started to walk away, through the kitchen, and back towards the pool so he could go back on duty. And I was just standing there, totally dumbstruck with my mouth hanging half open for all of the flies to make nests in.

"Who was he?" I whispered.

The nearest cook snickered and answered, "That was Percy Jackson."

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**Reviews are truly loved! :D**

**-BBH**


	6. Chapter 6

**It has been fun writing this chapter…**

* * *

The rest of the day was filled with getting to know the hotel and everyone there.

At around two, four hours before the switch in shifts to the night owls, Calypso stopped the tour and smiled at me. "Well, I hope some of this made sense to you and that you'll be here ready to work tomorrow." My feet hurt from the constant walking, and she was wearing heels and looked fine. That must take some serious practice. Oh no, was I going to have to wear heels?

I could barely stand the heels I was wearing. I remembered flashes from my eighth grade Formal, when I had worn heels for the first time ever. They were big no-no's for me, but they made me look more professional.

Every person there better hope they don't have me as their waitress. Someone may end up dead or injured.

"I urge you to stay here for a little while longer so that you can become more familiar with your surroundings. You should talk to some of the people who work here. Many of them are summer interns around your age. Make friends and bond!"

I had already talked to someone. Percy Jackson was still in my mind. His perfect body and his clownish attitude were so weird. Normally I would have had witty comebacks to the things he had said, but something about him had shut my brain down.

I was still having dirty images of Professor Utonium from the Powerpuff Girls…

"Thank you for showing me around," I told her kindly. "It means a lot to me that you would take time off from your busy schedule to do this." Yeah, not really, but hey, it sounded nice.

"You are most certainly welcome," she told me, patting my arm. "I don't like to scare people because I am their boss or whatever. If you ever need anything, you just come to me. I'll be your go-to girl."

I'd never had a 'go-to girl' before, and she wasn't about to be my first. But I nodded my thanks to her and gave a small wave as she glided away, clicking her heels along the tile flooring. Once she was gone, I sagged against the wall and blindly searched for the nearest couch inside of the massive lobby. I fell in it and threw my shoes off. There were angry red blisters on my heels that hurt like hell and I was pretty sure that I had sweat stains through my blazer. Florida was like the freaking dessert.

All of the tourists were walking around me. One guy with a really big beer belly stumbled by wearing too short swim trunks. That was a sight I could've gone without seeing.

I was sort of in love with the hotel though. The entire area was gorgeous. All of the people that I had seen were super nice and greeted me nicely. Even my new boss Calypso was nice but a little… weird. Maybe she was on her period. The only person that was definitely questionable was that Jackson guy. What was his problem, and why has he been talking to me?

I sighed. It didn't really matter.

I dug through my purse, praying to everything I could think of that I had somehow packed flip flops. I dug around, pushing aside the unnecessary items that I could do without. By a stroke of luck, I had very old rubber ones in the bottom of my purse, covered in dirt and trash with a piece of gum stuck to one of them.

My heels fit inside the bag and I slipped on the flip flops. They felt so amazing and my toes were all like, "I can breathe! I can breathe!"

"A blazer and flip flops. That's sexy," said a man's voice.

Oh, for the love of God, if it was that Percy Jackson dude, he was going to have a fist in his mouth. I looked up from my comfy seat on the couch to see an entirely new person. This man was probably seventeen, just a little younger than me, and had impish features and a Hispanic complexion. He was tall and skinny, his white shorts and button up dress shirt hanging loosely on his frame. But by the glint in his eye, I assumed that he probably had a meth addiction. He was twitchy.

"Um, do I know you?" I asked.

"No, but you should," he said, walking forward and grasping my hand. I jerked back, because I didn't have a thing for touchy-feely people. And then he smashed his cheek against mine and forced me to look off to the side, towards the high ceiling.

"What the hell are you doing?" I half screamed, trying to pull away. For a scrawny man, he had one heck of a grip.

"We are looking at the flashback to where you remember who I am," he said in a hushed whisper. Then he pulled bag a flashed me a mischievous grin. "Don't you watch TV?"

"This isn't a sitcom and I have no idea who you are except for the fact that you work here."

"Haven't you ever wondered if we are actually just a sitcom and we aren't even real people? Like someone has been dictating our entire lives and we have no control over the decisions that we make?" He stopped and then laughed. "Whoa, I just sounded deep, man."

I scooted away from him to the farthest edge of the couch. "Are you high?"

The strange guy pouted, puffing out his lower lip. "Baby, if you're gonna be one of the Team Leo Bitches, you can't have that attitude. It's a shame such means words are coming out of such a beautiful person."

I knew he had just complimented me, but I didn't know what to say. "I don't even know your freaking name, and you've already felt me up and called me a bitch within two minutes." I flipped my hair over my shoulder and tapped my foot.

"I just told you my name, but allow me to be more formal." He got down on one knee and gripped my hand. "Annabeth Chase, my fair maiden, I am Leo Valdez of Houston, and I will be your escort this evening to the Royal Ball. Maybe I shall even find your glass slipper and bestow it upon your feet."

I stared at him and wondered how in the world he knew my name. Had Calypso told him? That was my best guess.

"Okay, the name's Leo Valdez. I'm a bellboy here. One of ten, but I am by far the best and sexiest. You looked lonely and no one's really checking in or out, so I thought I'd give you some company. You could at least smile a little bit; it would do my ego a huge favor."

With that, I did crack a smile. He grinned. "See? That just turned every mean thing you said back around. You should smile more often. It's easier to smile than it is to frown."

Before I could say anything, he jumped to his feet and ran away through the lobby and down a hallway so that I could no longer see him. I relaxed back into my seat and rubbed my eyes with my palms. That was definitely different. People usually didn't come up to me and just hump me like a dog, but there was always a first for everything.

In a flash, Leo was back, but this time he had one of the trolleys with him. He pushed it in front of himself, and I could see that there was something sitting on top of the trolley. He stopped when he came near me and bowed. "Your chariot has arrived, madam, along with your ball gown."

My ball gown turned out to be three white polo's and two white skirts. They were my size and everything. On top of them was a name tag with my name and the Waldorf Astoria logo on it. "Calypso informed me that you would be needing these. You'll get your notebook and apron-thing tomorrow so that you can actually take orders."

"Thanks…" I mumbled. He looked at me expectantly, and I smiled.

"Good girl. You'll be part of Team Leo in no time." I didn't even want to ask what that meant, so I remained silent as I gripped the clothes in my hands.

"Oh!" Leo exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "Give me your phone!"

"What? Why should I?"

"Because I hand delivered your clothes with care." He held his hand out and wait, so I hoped that he wouldn't do anything to it and dropped my phone in his hand. He clicked a few buttons and then began typing furiously. He handed it back to me. "There. Now you have my contact in case you ever need anything. I can already tell that we are going to be great friends. And—"

Two people, a couple, walked through the lobby doors toting luggage.

"That's my cue. Gotta go do some work! See you tomorrow." He pushed the trolley and ran off to help the couple, and once again I was left alone.

So on my first day before work, I had already made one friend. That was pretty cool, even thought I was still suspicious of him and his very weird ways. But he was gone now, taking the guests luggage and acting not too over the top.

Glad my feet could breathe, I managed to explore the hotel for a while, busying myself with going to every single floor and exploring the rooms. Some of the cleaning ladies kept the doors to the rooms opened, so I was graced a few times with seeing the beautiful interiors with large flats screens and plush beds.

I eyed some of the shops and walked outside to the tennis courts and the edge of the golf course, which was huge. The grass there was perfect, and even I knew that they sometimes regulated water use in areas of Florida. How they kept it so pristine would be a mystery to me.

Back inside, I passed the Kids Club and the Fitness center, plus two more beautiful restaurants. There was a sign along one of the walls saying what water sports people could participate in on which days, which I thought was kind of awesome. I wanted to learn out of paddle board, so maybe I could get lessons there sometimes.

The only thing I couldn't find was the beach.

I mean, I couldn't find the path to it. When I went back out to the pool area, there were just a bunch of trees beyond that. People filed past me with beach chairs and boogie boards, covered in sand, but no matter where I looked, I could not find a path to the beach.

Once six o'clock hit, I left the hotel and started towards my Jeep, singing the Big Bang Theory theme song.

"_Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state. Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started. Wait."_

I took a deep breath, getting ready to sing the next part, but someone behind me, a man, started to sing it first. _"The earth began to cool, the autotrophs began to drool. Neanderthals developed tools, we built the wall, we built the pyramids. Math, science, history, unraveling the mystery that all started with a Big Bang!"_

I knew that voice. I turned around in the parking lot and saw Percy Jackson standing there. He was still wearing his bathing suit trunks but had on a ratty old white t shirt. I rolled my eyes and started walking again. The next thing I knew, he was walking right next to me with the biggest smile ever.

"You know, you kind of look like Penny from that show," Percy told me. "I mean, you aren't going to be a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory, but you'll be a poolside waitress here! Then I'll get to see you all the time."

"Yay…" I said with fake enthusiasm.

"But something tells me you are just as smart as Sheldon," he said knowingly.

"Whatever."

"You know, the Big Bang Theory kind of sounds like a weird porno."

"Interesting."

"What's your problem?" he asked, throwing his hands into the air and catching me off guard. "I'm just trying to me nice to you. The least you could do was try and be nice back. Smile a little more, it'll do you wonders."

"That guy Leo said the same thing," I told him. Why, I don't know.

He nudged me with him arm. "Leo and I are best friends. As long as you have us, then nothing is going to go wrong. Now, I don't know if you're just nervous or if you've had a suckish life, but this would be the place to turn everything around. No one here knows you so you can start fresh. But please, for the love of all things holy, smile more. Better things happen to you when you're happy."

I nodded, because something about what he was saying was true. I didn't know anyone here. I could make friends. I could make a whole new life here. I approached my car, however, without another word in his direction.

He laughed. "See you tomorrow, _Wise Girl."_

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**I love Leo's character, but I love Percy's even more:) Reviews are loved, and please take the poll on my profile. It would help a lot.**

**-BBH**


	7. Chapter 7

**I had Writer's Block! I'm sorry for not updating! I'm trying to finish my House of Hades! SORRY! Hope you like.**

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For some reason, Percy and Leo's words affected me way more than they should've. That night, I sat in my bed and stared at my ceiling, trying to fall asleep. But I kept thinking about what I could've done differently with my day.

Maybe if I had been nicer I would've had more fun. I sort of wished I had smiled a little bit more. Percy and Leo were just trying to be nice to me, and I'd been kind of a bitch back. I didn't even know them, though, so it shouldn't have made me so upset. But I had no friends. At all. So I decided that tomorrow, I was going to at least try and get along with everyone.

But ten o'clock turned to eleven, and soon enough it was about one AM and I still couldn't fall asleep, no matter how many reruns of the Walking Dead I decided to watch. I looked over at my phone. I had Leo's contact. He would be able to say something interesting. I had nothing better to do. Reluctantly or not, I texted him. _Hey. I'm bored. Can U talk? _

The reply was almost instant. _What R U doin up at this hour? Naughty Annie._

I rolled my eyes. _Y or N?_

_Can u Skype?_

_Sure my name is A_The_Chess_Player. _

He didn't respond, so I grabbed my computer and switched it on. As always, Skype popped up. There was a friend request already from a guy named _YourMom69_. I hoped it wasn't some sort of molester and accepted. A few seconds later, a new contact appeared. Leo Valdez. He was online. I clicked on his name and sent him a video call. That always annoying sound started ringing, and I waited a few moments for Leo to pick up. I reached over and turned on the light. The video of me appeared on the screen first, and my hair was sticking up in all different directions.

Leo answered, and oh my God, he had to be drunk.

First of all, the sound of the music in the background was way too loud for even over the computer. I turned it down so my dad wouldn't wake up. Leo was there, a solo cup in one hand and I guess his phone in the other. I checked the screen. Yeah, he was using Skype on a mobile device. He was shirtless and I think his eyebrows were singed. It was hard to tell with the flashing strobe lights.

He had this wild look in his eyes, and he was dancing around to the music in the background. Whatever was in his cup was sloshing around and going over the sides, but didn't seem to notice. I'd never been drunk before… actually, I'd never even been to a party, and seeing the look in his eyes, I knew it probably wasn't the best idea.

"ANNABETH!" Leo yelled over the music. "How's it going!?"

I sighed. "Now I'm regretting ever doing this."

"You're hurting my feelings," he pouted. "Damn, you should be here! We're having so much fun! All your new work buddies are here too!"

I doubted the perfect Calypso was there, and I'd only really met him and Percy. I changed the subject. "That's a really mature penname, Leo. Did you come up with it all by yourself?"

"Well, at least mine isn't about my undying love for chess."

"Where is your shirt?"

"Where's yours?

Without thinking, I covered my chest area with my hands, and then remembered that I had on a tank top. I shot him a dirty look, and he laughed. "Ha! Tricked you!" He took a sloppy gulp from his drink and then burped. A bunch of people in the room he was in cheered and he took a victory bow. My stomach was starting to hurt just looking at him. He was not at the legal age, but apparently he didn't care

"I'm getting off," I said quietly. And I was being serious. I didn't feel like talking to someone who was drunk.

"Don't leave!" he protested, running a hand through his hair. "I have some people you need to meet!"

I had no idea what that was supposed to mean. The screen went dark for a minute, and then Leo was there with a group of people behind him. There was a Native American girl with feathers in her hair and a blonde boy with his arm around her shoulders. They were laughing way too loud and it was hurting my ears. Then, there was a girl with bright red hair and two twins.

Being alone in my room full of books, I suddenly felt like a hermit.

"This is Jason and Piper," Leo introduced, pointing his thumb to the blondie and the girl with feathers. He then nudged the redhead and said, "This is Rachel, and the two twin kleptomaniacs are Connor and Travis. Jason's a chef and Piper and Rachel are bartenders. Connor and Travis work at the gift shop by the beach. See, we're all one big, screwed up family!"

"So you're Annabeth, the blonde-haired wonder?" asked one of the twins.

"Yeah, I guess I am!"

"You're all Jackson has been talking about all night." Wait, what? Percy Jackson? I asked him if that's who it was, and they laughed. "Of course it's Percy," Rachel laughed. "Seriously, you're all he's talking about, and you just moved down here. It's like love at first sight!"

"Oh, let's go get him!" Piper exclaimed, and they all agreed.

I hung up.

Yeah. I panicked a little. I closed Skype and turned off my lamp and my laptop. I put it beside me and buried my head into my pillow. Why was Percy talking about me? I barely knew him. We'd met yesterday and he'd walked me to my car. He had a great body, but he was annoying. He the most he was right now was a friend, and he was barely that. He had just helped a girl on her first day. Hardly.

They'd been drunk. That was the only explanation.

Leo texted me, but I ignored him and tried my best to actually fall asleep. And eventually, I did.

When I woke up at nine to my alarm, I felt like I had a hangover, and I hadn't even been at the party. My alarm made me feel like I was on the Titanic when it was sinking. I thought about what I had seen a few hours before. Those people were going to be pills at work. I jumped out of bed and took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, put my hair back in a ponytail, and jumped into my new work attire.

When I went into the kitchen, I found a note on the counter next to a covered plate. _I had to go to work. Have a good day at work, Annie. Call me if you need anything—Dad._

I snorted. Yeah, I'd heard that one before.

The plate was full of pancakes and bacon. My stomach growled and I dug in. I looked at my phone while I took a huge bite of bacon and syrup. I seriously had ten new messages from Leo. I read a few of them.

**1:34 AM**. _Hey? U ok?_

**1:36 AM**. _Annabeth, U R scarin me. Respond! D:_

**2:01 AM.** _Helllooooooooooo?!_

**7:13 AM**. _I'll C U at work 2day. I hope U R ok._

Well, that was sweet of him. I smiled a little bit, because people weren't usually worried for me. I decided not to text him because I would just be seeing him in about an hour. But when I looked back down at my plate full of deliciousness, I wasn't that hungry anymore. I put it in the fridge, slipped on my fatal shoes, and got in my car.

At least I remembered where to go. I was afraid I was going to get lost, but everything came back to me. I took all the right turns and when I was pulling into the Waldorf Astoria, I still had ten minutes to spare. While I was searching for a spot to park my car, I started thinking about Percy for some reason.

Why would he, the weird sexy lifeguard that liked to get up close and personal, want anything to do with me, the introvert waitress from New York who'd had a bad attitude and didn't like to smile but loved to read? Maybe he had just been a little high and had been saying crazy things to everyone. Maybe they had been making fun of me.

"_Hey there Delilah. What's it like in New York City? I'm a thousand miles away but girl, tonight you look so pretty, yes you do. Times Square can't shine as bright as you, I swear it's true."_ The song that was playing was by the Plain White T's. Would anyone ever sing me a love song as sweet as that?

What the hell was I thinking? I blamed PMS. I turned off the radio.

Deciding not to take my soccer mom purse with me, I got out of my car and hiked my way from the employee parking lot to the resort. Once I was inside, I didn't even have time to look for Leo to say anything. Calypso was there with an arm around me waist, pulling me towards the kitchens. "Oh great, you're here early," she chirped happily, like a little bird. I stumbled after her. She walked way too fast for me.

Once in there, I inhaled the smells of cooking fish and warm nachos. Just poolside foods that I'd be serving to people. I looked around and I saw a flash of blonde hair all the way on the other side of the room. When he turned around he had had sick look on his face. That had to be Jason, probably feeling like crap after drinking so much. He didn't notice me.

Calypso handed me a black apron and a notepad. Then she laid down a map in front of me. "These are the tables and cabanas," she explained, gesturing to the little boxes on there. She pointed to about ten of them. "These are yours. The other waitresses will get the other tables, so don't worry about them. You'll do great today, so don't worry about anything." She patted me on the shoulder before scurrying out of the room.

I blinked. Someone chuckled and walked past me. I turned my head and saw that it was Jason. "Are you even sober enough to be working today?" I asked.

"I don't really have a choice. It's either this or no paycheck. But believe me, I wish I were at home puking into my toilet." He grabbed a few spices from a shelf and started to make his way back to where he had been before. "Don't let Calypso overwhelm you. The days are usually slow and people never like to eat at the hotel. The most they'll buy are jalapeño poppers because they're afraid they'll gain too much weight."

I nodded and tied the apron around my waist, leaving the place and going outside to see if there were any people out there yet. Of course, there were two people sitting in only my area, so my day had already begun.

Percy was out there already watching the swimmers. When he saw me walk out there, he winked.

I stared at him, wondering why. He jerked his head toward the table I was getting ready to go to and let out a silent laugh before turning back around. I walked towards the table and before I reached it, my mouth dropped open. I saw who the two people were.

Fatty #1 and Fatty #2 from the plane ride.

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**Hopefully, I can make the next chapter better. Reviews are really loved and help out a lot!**

**-BBH**


	8. Chapter 8

**Look at me, being all awesome and updating:) Hehe…**

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The first two hours of my job made me want to go drown myself in the pool.

Actually, it's impossible to drown yourself. You can hold your breath for as long as you want, but eventually, you'll open your mouth to breath, and there won't be any air, and you'll resurface. It's a reflex. I suppose if you choke on the water though, you would die. Or you would need CPR from a certain lifeguard nearby named Percy Jackson.

The fantasies that were in my head were not suitable for children. But hey, Percy was there in all of his shirtless glory, looking over the two year olds that had strayed from their parents and wanted to swim all by themselves.

Fatty #1 and Fatty #2 were just bundles of joy! I say that sarcastically. No, they seemed pissed to see me. When I had walked over there, they had stopped their conversation and stared at me with dead expressions. I'd swallowed. "Hello. How's your day been?"

"Pardon me for asking, but were you that chick on the flight from LaGuardia to Sanford?" Number 1 had asked, sort of politely, which was bonus points, because I liked nice people. Mean people however… eh, not so much. I did notice that he said chick, and that annoyed me a bit.

"Uh…" I'd stuttered. "Was that you guys? Oh wow, what a coincidence. Are you going to be here all summer?" When they nodded, I wanted to screw the job and run away into the forest to live amongst woodland animals, but I'd pushed down the bad thoughts and had gone with a nice, "Well, that's great. It's an amazing hotel to be staying at."

Number 2 rudely mumbled in Number 1's ear, and I'd caught him saying something like, "Crazy Yankee." I'd been about to burst open with anger and a very long string of naughty words, but they turned to me and said, "Are you going to take our order?"

They better hope their sorry asses that they don't come back to the stupid outdoor restaurant.

I'd never seen two people order so much food in my entire life. They helped themselves to three orders of fish tacos, about ten sweet teas, two plates of nachos, and cheesecake. All at eleven AM! I gulped. What if they returned for Happy Hour? Oh, I was so glad I wasn't a bartender like Piper and Rachel. They would have to put up with people like this, but they'd be drunk.

Speaking, or rather thinking, or drunk, I wondered about Leo and the twins and everyone else. How were they holding up with work? I knew Percy had been at that party, but every time my eyes strayed to him, he looked focused and alert, not at all sick or hung-over. Maybe he hadn't been drinking at the party. Maybe he had been the only soul person there not going crazy. But he had been talking about me, so he'd had to have been.

My calculations just refused to add up.

So after their very long brunch or whatever it was supposed to be, they paid and then toddled away. The sons of bitches hadn't even left me a freaking tip. I made sure their backs were turned and I flipped them off. I were a bark of laughter, and I turned to find Percy laughing at me with his sunglasses covering his eyes.

The second bad thing that happened was at around 12:30, when I realized, under the bright, blazing sun, that I had forgotten to put on sunscreen. I was fair skinned and tomorrow I was going to look like someone had hit me with pink paintballs. How could I have forgotten something as important as this? I could tan very well, but I was still prone to getting burned.

And then, right before my one o'clock lunch break which only lasted five or ten minutes, a group of crazy kids that I could've sworn were from 19 Kids and Counting did huge cannonballs into the pool as I was walking by. Needless to say, I looked like I had taken a swim with the fishies.

As I walked up to kitchen, my heels tripping along the concrete, someone poked me in the back. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned around and came face to face with Percy the lifeguard. "Hello there, Annabeth the Waitress!" he said, and then proceeded to shake his hair out like a dog, getting me all wet. I hadn't seen him jump in the water once.

"Who'd you have to save?" I asked as we walked through the hallway.

"No one, but it's hotter than Hades outside, so I took a quick dip. No one cared." We walked into the busy kitchen full of cooks, other waiters, dish boys, and random workers. Jason noticed the both of us and grabbed two plates and plopped them down on a stainless steel table. He nodded to them, and I guessed that they were for us.

"Peanut butter and jelly," I said, looking down at my sandwich. "Wow. Did you win Top Chef?"

"I promise that you've never had any other PB&J sandwich as good as mine," Jason promised from the other side of the kitchen. "I'm amazing."

"They're actually very good," Percy backed up, taking a bite out of his own.

Hunger won over and I took a bite. I was amazed to find that they were both right; the PB&J was superb. He should become a professional chef and sell them like Uncrustables. He'd make millions. When I told him that, he laughed. "You know, that's a great idea." But after that, Jason went to go cook and talk to Piper for a little while.

A minute later, Leo ran in, grabbing something from a fridge. I think it was a Monster. He opened it up and took a song gulp before he noticed me. He jumped up, nearly throwing his energy drink all over me. "Geez, Annabeth, you know you scared me to death last night? Why'd you just hang up? You didn't even respond to any of my text messages. I was so worried about you. Don't ever do anything like that again.

Blinking, I looked at him. We'd met yesterday, and he was acting like we'd known each other our entire lives. I guess we were kind of like friends. "I'm sorry. But you and everyone else were drunk and I was getting tired. I should've said something, I know, I know. How are you feeling, anyway? You looked pretty tipsy last night." I didn't want to patronize him about being underage and all that, but that was mainly because I didn't know how to address the subject.

"Oh, I feel like shit, but these energy drinks…" He took a long sip. "Man, they work wonders. Okay, we're going to have to talk later. A whole crap-load of people have decided to collectively come here at one time, and they all are way too lazy to take their bags to their rooms. Gotta go. Peace out." He ran from the room like the Energizer Bunny.

I felt Percy's gaze on me. "What?" I demanded.

"Nothing," he answered. I turned and looked at him. His expression was thoughtful.

"So, you were talking all about me last night, huh?" I asked before I could stop myself. What the hell was I doing? This wasn't the way to talk to someone. I was only going to end up either getting him mad or making a complete fool of myself. Neither was good.

Instead of him saying something defensive like I expected him to, he answered, "I was. After our conversations of Powerpuff Girls and the Big Bang Theory, I couldn't get you off of my mind."

I blushed, embarrassment be damned. "Yes. Our talk of porno and pedophiles was an interesting asset to the day."

"You bet." He finished his sandwich and wiped his hands across his swim trunks. "So how bad were those two tourists you had for your first table?"

I shivered at the memory. "Terrible. They were on my flight in from LaGuardia and sat next to me. It kind of ruined the peace, especially when they fell on top of me… I thought I was rid of them after I'd left the airport, but apparently they're staying at this hotel, and I am going to have to see them far more often than I'd like."

Percy didn't say anything for a minute before he questioned, "LaGuardia… You're from New York?"

Great way to change the subject. I sighed and stuck out my hand. "Annabeth Chase. I'm a loner nerd that loves to read and has no friends. I'm eighteen. My parents are divorced and my little brothers and mom live in New York City while my dad moved down here for work. There's my life story, feel free to tip."

Percy shook my hand. His hands were warm. "Percy Jackson. I'm a swimmer and a surfer who has never gotten above a B on any assignment. I'm nineteen. My dad left when I was little and my mom wants to me to go to college but I hate learning. I was born in Key West but moved to Daytona Beach when I was little. This is my third summer working here. That's my life story. See, I call this valuable bonding time."

"Ha."

"So, your last name is Chase. Is your dad Fredrick Chase the construction dude?"

I nodded.

"Oh, he's awesome. I've talked to him a bunch of times and he's always really nice. He looks a lot like you." That was weird. I thought I looked a lot more like my mom, but who cares?

The next thing he said made me want to shit my pants. "Do you want to go get some dinner with me after work?"

I stared at him, speechless. How was I supposed to respond to this question? Part of me wanted to whoop and scream YES! I had no idea why. The other part of me was so caught off guard that I didn't know what to do. I struggled to find words. "But… we don't even know each other!"

"We just gave out our life stories. And I'd like to get to know you more. As much as lunch time conversations and walks through the parking lot are fun, I want to get to know you. I want to be your friend, like Leo. Will you please go out with me tonight?" Then he realized why I was so freaked out. He laughed. "No, not like on a date. Just two friends getting a bite to eat. Nothing too special. Are you up to it?"

This was all happening so fast, but he sat there and waited for an answer. I breathed deeply. Moving to Naples was all about changing who I had been in New York. I didn't want to be the lonely girl with no friends. The one who was bullied and had never had a boyfriend before. But I didn't know how to not be that girl. My brain told me to think about it and to be logical. I really didn't know anything about Percy. He could be a part-time rapist or something. I shouldn't be taking chances by going to dinner with him. I should go home and start rereading a good book and watch TV show reruns.

But every other part of my body told me to go for it.

"Sure," I mumbled, taking a sip of water from a cup that had been placed next to me.

My reward was his face lighting up with something like joy. "Great! I'll meet you in the parking lot then." He got up and stood there, waiting for me. My eyes wandered to the clock on the wall, and I realized that we had talked for too long. We were late. We walked back outside to our jobs in the hot summer heat.

The rest of my day went by if no problem other than me worrying about my date—er, dinner-thingy with Percy. Stupid little things, like where was he going to take me? How far away was it? Were we taking separate cars? I cursed myself for wondering those things. It was stupid.

No kids annoyed me and my outfit dried rather fast. The rest of my tables were small and no one was really eating. After all, it was a gorgeous/miserable day, and everyone would be at the beach where Conner and Travis worked. I still had no idea how I was supposed to get to the beach. I would have to ask someone about that.

I got decent tips. By the time six o'clock had rolled around, I had collected thirty dollars. When my day was done, I took off my apron and wobbled inside. Calypso stood there, waiting for me. She was still all smiles. I wondered if that hurt her cheeks at all. "How was your first day? Not too rough, I hope."

"It was fine, I guess." No need to bore her with my stories of the Fatties. She took my apron from me and hung it up in the kitchen. She showed me the sign out sheet and I did so. Then she busied me with tons of questions that I didn't want to answer as we walked into the lobby. I looked around for Leo and saw him struggling with huge suitcases that probably weighed more than him. Poor guy. We would have to talk later tonight.

"I'll see you on Wednesday," Calypso said cheerfully. I remember that I only had to work three days a week. That meant I had all of tomorrow off. "If you want, you can always come here on your days off. You have access to all amenities since you work here."

Good to know.

"See you," I told her as I left the lobby.

As I walked through the parking lot, Percy caught up with me. "Hello there, Wise Girl."

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Because you're some sort of genius prodigy, right?" he joked. "I guess we'll have to take separate cars, so I'll leave first and you can just follow mine. Is that cool with you?"

"Yeah," I said. When we reached my car, I looked at Percy. "Let me call my dad and make sure that he's cool with this." I unlocked the car and grabbed my phone. I looked through my contact favorites and realized that I didn't even have my dad on there. That shows how much I didn't really like to talk to him back in New York.

"Hey Dad," I said upon him answering the phone.

"Hey Annie. What's up? You get lost?"

"No. I'm just calling to say that I'm going to go out with some friends for dinner."

"You have friends?" he asked incredulously. I rolled my eyes. What? Was the idea of me making acquaintance with people just an unbearable thought? He should be happy that I was trying to actually make friends instead of push people away.

"Yeah Dad. Real friends. They breathe and everything." I didn't mention that it was actually only one person and I wasn't even sure if he really was a friend and I wasn't even sure if it was a date because he said it wasn't but I was just really confused. My dad didn't need to know every single detail of my life. I looked at Percy, who had a hand over his mouth which still couldn't hide his smile. I stuck my tongue out at him and the grin spread.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. That came out wrong. Go have dinner. Have fun. Don't stay out too late though. I plan to play a mean game of checkers against you later."

I snorted. "Checkers is a game for elders in nursing homes. Man up and play chess."

He laughed from the other end. "Be back before nine or I'm going to really embarrass you. Don't ask me how, but I do have my ways. I have contacts. I know most of the people at that hotel. Don't think that I won't."

"I don't doubt you for a second." I glanced over at him. "Okay, I gotta go. Bye."

"Bye." He hung up.

"Well, he said I had to be back before nine, but it's only six, so if you plan on making anything that late then you have lost your mind."

He chuckled and if it wasn't sexy then the world wasn't round. Percy waved to me and kept on walking to his car, which was down the parking lot. I jumped inside of my own and turned it on. What was I getting myself into? What was I doing? Why was I doing this?

And why was I so excited about it?

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**ANNIE GOT A DATE! Or… a dinner with a friend-like Homo Sapien with great abs. Whatever. We all know it's a date :D Reviews are really loved. **

**-BBH**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for no update in a month! D: I suck. A note regarding Percy: Sorry for making him OOC. When I started writing out his character, I mimicked him from Daemon Black in the Lux Series (THE MOVIE RIGHTS WERE JUST SOLD! I'M SO HAPPY!). But this is an AU/AH story, so it's okay to have OOCness… which this story DEFINITELY has.**

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I was practically shitting bricks as I followed Percy's car through the winding roads of Naples.

Honestly, I shouldn't have been nervous, because it wasn't like we were going on a date. I had never been on a date though, and this was the closest I'd ever come to one. Excitement bubbled inside of me, and I sort of resented it, because I hadn't wanted to go out to dinner in the first place. Now that I had said yes, I wasn't sure whether or not it was a good thing. But it was kind of like a date. Or was it. AH INNER TURMOIL!

I really hadn't explored Naples that much. I was completely lost, and I trusted Percy not to lead me into some rape alley or something. He'd have to help me get home, because I had no clue how to. Halfway there, I realized I should've been paying more attention to where I was going.

I became very confused when Percy pulled onto an old dirt road, going into the backwoods. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous, with giant trees obscuring the sky and making a canopy above me. The road went on for a few miles and then eventually forked off into three different establishments. Percy chose the tiniest of them all, the one with the fewest people.

Percy ended up pulling into a very small seafood restaurant called _The Krusty Krab_. Man, was he stalking me or something?

He parked his car and ran over to open my door. "The Krusty Krab?" I asked innocently, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's just the name. There are no Krabby Patties like in Spongebob. I know, it sucks, but we'll just have to be cannibals and eat the fish sandwiches. You do like fish, right?"

"Who doesn't?"

"You'd be surprised," he answered, grinning at me. I grabbed my purse and walked next to him up to the shack. It was a shack; the walls were old and thin, partially made with tin sheets painted colorfully. There was a giant crab sculpture outside that made me laugh, because it looked really stupid.

"What's so funny?" he asked me.

I pointed to the crab, making him laugh too. "If you want, I can take your picture next to it. Post it on Facebook. I wonder how many like you'll get."

"I'll pass," I told him.

He shrugged. "Whatever you say, Wise Girl."

"Why do you call me that?"

"What? Wise Girl?" I nodded. "Well, I already told you. You seem really smart to me. And I like nicknames, so I'm going to keep calling you that." He held the door open for me as we walked inside of the Krusty Krab. The hostess asked how many and then took us to our seats near the back of the shack.

A waitress came over. She had her hair in a half-bun and dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept in days. I hoped I wouldn't end up looking like that. "Hello lovebirds. My name's Donna and I'll be serving you this evening. Can I get you two something to drink?"

Before I could open my mouth to tell her that sadly we weren't lovebirds, but Percy put on his best, swoon-worthy smile. The waitress blinked and flushed. I was positive that I was too. Percy scared me a little and confused me a lot, but he was hella sexy and I was at my absolute lamest. "I'll have a Coke," he said finally.

It took me a few seconds to find my voice. I think Donna thought that I had some sort of illness. "Sweetheart, do you need something? I have some Tylenol—"

"I'm fine," I managed. "Just water, please. With a lime."

"Okay," Donna said. "One Coke, one water with lemon."

"Actually," I tried to say. "It's lime." But Donna was already gone. I sighed.

Percy laughed at me. "Annabeth, the only way you're going to get a lime in this place is if you order a Corona Light. You got water. There's gonna be a lemon." I frowned at the thought. Seriously, who started the tradition of putting lemon in water? It tasted gross.

"So," Percy began after our drinks had arrived. "Tell me a little about yourself."

I put down my water. "What do you want to know?"

He considered my question for a second. "Have you applied to any colleges?"

I froze. Weird question… but hey, I'd never been on a date before, so maybe it was normal. "Yeah, I've applied to a few. NYU, Boston, Harvard, UCLA. They've all already accepted me, which is pretty cool. But I also applied to Stanford and I'm waiting for a reply. I sent it in a few months ago and it should be back by now, but it hasn't."

"Hey, I wouldn't be complaining with Harvard or UCLA. Why do you want to go to Stanford so much though?"

"My mom's from that area and used to be a professor there in the anatomy department. When I was little and my parents were still together, we took a trip to California to go see it. It's so cool there and I've really wanted to go ever since."

I began to look over my menu, and so did he. Once our waitress had returned, we both ordered fish sandwiches, because Percy said that they were the best in the entire world. I didn't know about that but I decided to try one. I was still a nervous wreck, continuously flipping my hair and tapping my fingers on the table. If I was annoying him, he didn't let on.

"What do you want to study?" he finally questioned.

Again, this surprised me. "I… I don't know. I want to be some sort of nurse or doctor, but I can't decide what to do. I've looked at courses and classes, and my mom is getting mad at me because I should have my mind made up about this, but I just don't know."

"That's okay," he said. "You'll know when the time comes, and if you don't, then you don't have to go to college right away. You can just work and take online courses. There are tons of different options."

"Thanks. Well, you're nineteen. Where do you go to college?"

"I went to Orlando Community College last year," he informed me. "It was terrible."

"Why?"

"Because I had to learn things," he answered, as if it were obvious.

"Well, I guess if you don't feel like learning things, college is not the route you want to take."

"Yeah, I didn't get the memo." He started to play with his straw. Shoot, was this awkward for him too? Why did I even accept this date? He probably thought I was a loser bookworm that did nothing but try to get into colleges and bitch when I wasn't accepted into one. That's how I sounded to myself. I'd even told him some of the stuff back at the resort. Maybe I should just leave before I embarrass myself even further.

"How many people have you dated before?"

Great. Now he would hear about how I was oh so alone.

Of course, I could just lie to him. He doesn't know anything about me and he wouldn't be able to tell. But under his gaze, I found myself unable to. I don't know what it was, but those green eyes were huge. It would be like lying to a little kid, or a puppy. He was so cute that I had to tell him.

"I've never dated anyone."

He spit his drink out everywhere. I'd never seen anyone do that so perfectly, and thankfully it wasn't towards me. Unfortunately, he aimed to the side towards the table next to ours. He drenched a little girl, who started screaming. The parents didn't get mad. They dragged their daughter out of the shack to discipline her to screaming. But they would be back. "Are you shitting me?"

I was positive that my face was bright red, thanks to humiliation and sun burn. "No. I've never had a boyfriend."

Percy leaned back in his seat and ran a hand over his face. "If a girl like you has never dated anyone, then the fucking world must be coming to an end." What the hell was that supposed to mean? It could either be a compliment or a really mean jab. It made me feel all the worse. He looked around. "I might have to go get a couple shots now. I have a headache."

"That'll only make it worse, you know."

"Whatever."

"How about you? How many girls have you dated?" How pointless was this question? He probably had tons of super hot girls stalking his every move. Hell, was he even single right now?

"Only a few, and never too long. I'm still waiting for the right one, you know—Annabeth, you done letting the flies in?"

"What?" I hadn't realized that my mouth was hanging open. Now, was he lying to me? I found it really hard to believe that someone like him wouldn't have had ten million girlfriends during his nineteen years. Maybe I was just crazy. Maybe things were just different in Florida. "Sorry. I didn't realize."

His eyes lit up with amusement, though he didn't say anything. Donna came by and dropped off our fish sandwiches. Covering mine in tartar sauce, I took a huge bite. Percy was right. The sandwiches were delicious, better than any I'd ever had. I was halfway done with mine before Percy had even taken his first bite. I tried to slow it down, but hey, PB&J can only keep a girl fed for so long.

Out of nowhere, Percy grabbed my hand and held it in his own.

I nearly died.

I looked up at him. "Sorry, you have some tartar sauce on your hand." I did? I looked. Yes, a giant glob. But Percy made no move to get a napkin to wipe it off. He just held my hand and I sat there awkwardly with a sandwich half inside of my mouth and my body full of feels.

Finally, he wiped it off with his napkin, his lips tipped up in the corner. He squeezed my hand once before letting it go. I pulled my hand back immediately as butterflies drove racecars through my stomach. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say, so I kept quiet.

Percy asked me a few other questions about myself. "How are you liking Florida?" It's pretty cool so far, I guess. "What do you like to do in your spare time?" Read and listen to music. "Why don't you like lemons?" Must I actually have a reason? I'm not sure!

I asked him a few of my own, like questions about Daytona Beach and the Waldorf Astoria. When I asked him what he wanted his profession to be, he said that he didn't know either, but he always wanted to be close to the ocean. "Why do you like the ocean so much?" I ended up asking, because the way he talked about it made him seem a little obsessed.

He got this far away look in his eyes. "I never knew my dad, but my mom met him on the beach up in New York. Montauk. It was like love at first sight. Every once in a while mom and I take a trip up there, just to two of us. My dad was lost at sea, and whenever I'm in the ocean I feel closer to him and more at peace."

That was one of the deepest yet saddest things I'd ever heard. Is that depressing? I don't know. I didn't ask him any other questions. Once we were done, the waitress Donna brought over our check. I offered to pay but Percy said it was on him.

As we left the shack, Percy said, "Are you sure you don't want me to take your picture with Mr. Krabs?"

I chuckled. "I'm sure. And um, Percy? I'm a tad bit lost."

I told Percy where I lived and he said that he was drive ahead of me so that I could follow him and he would go to my house. "Are you sure? I don't want you to go out of your way or anything. If you just give directions—"

"Wise Girl, it's no trouble at all. I stay with Leo and he isn't too far away from there. I'll be fine."

Once I was back in my car and following Percy's, I switched on the radio. Adele was on._ "There's a fire starting in my heart. Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark. Finally I can see you crystal clear. Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your ship bare." _

Sooner than I had expected, we were pulling into my neighborhood. I passed Percy's car so that I could drive to my house. I expected him to turn and drive off, but instead he followed me right up to the gate and then all the way through the driveway. The front lights were on, which meant that my dad was up. I prayed to God that he wouldn't come outside to see that I had only gone out with Percy.

I parked the car and got out. I waved at Percy, but he rolled his window down like he wanted to talk. I walked up the window. "Thanks for showing me the way home," I told him.

"Like I said before, it was no trouble at all." Out of nowhere, Percy leaned out of the car and pressed his lips to my cheek. Before I could react, he pulled away. "See you at work, Wise Girl."

"See you," I told him, my cheek warm. Even after he was gone, I could still feel his lips.

"I thought you said you were going out with a group of friends," my dad said as I walked into the kitchen. I shot him a dirty look and he laughed then exited, leaving me all by myself. Since there was nothing for me to do in the kitchen and I wasn't hungry, I went straight to bed.

That night, I fell asleep without any problems, and my dreams were of Percy.

What was I getting myself in to?

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**Not the best, but I hope it was okay. Do you guys want half of the next chapter in Percy's POV? Tell me in a review! They really help out:)**

**-BBH**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm a terrible person for not updating. I know. I'm sorry, don't kill me. This is such a filler… but the next chapter will be better. I promise!**

**Oh, and thanks for 300 reviews. That mean so much! Thank you!**

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I had the next day off, and since it was raining cats and dogs, my dad had the suggestion of going to the movies.

Hey, I'm not going to turn down an offer to get fattening popcorn that costs ten dollars for an extra small. Especially when my dad's buying.

But we decided to have a nice morning together.

If you had asked me a year ago if I had thought I'd be eating breakfast with my dad in Naples, I would've asked you if you were high. I don't know what changed in my dad over the time that I hadn't seen him, but I was pretty sure that it was for the better.

I woke up with the most insane smile on my face. It quickly changed to a look of confusion, however, because I remembered dreaming of Percy. _Percy_. As in Jackson, the guy who'd taken me out on the date or whatever it was the night before. He'd kissed me on the cheek right before he'd left.

Okay, even though it had been only a kiss on the cheek, it still kept me flushed for a while as I got up. Apparently, I had tried to get him off my mind last night by reading the Odyssey again, because the book went falling to the floor and closed. I sighed. There went my page number.

I took a short shower because halfway through, thunder shook the house. I knew being in the shower during lightning storms wasn't very smart, so I got out and pulled on some sweats and a baggy t-shirt.

As I came downstairs, it was around nine AM, and my dad was making waffles and toast. There were glasses of orange and cranberry juice on the counter. He grinned at me as I slid into a seat. "So, how was your date last night?"

He better be glad that I wasn't drinking anything, because I would've pulled a Percy if I had. "God, Dad, it wasn't a date."

"Where were all the other people?"

My brain failed to make a comeback.

He laughed, and I was sure that my cheeks were the color of the cranberry juice. "You know, your lying skills have really gotten bad. You could've just said they left and he made sure you got home. But now the truth is written all over your tired face."

I glared at him. "It wasn't a date."

"Whatever floats your boat, sweetheart."

I grumbled to myself as he slid a plate full of yummy food up to me. I immediately dug in and it all tasted great. My dad sat down next to me and started to eat too, and we didn't talk the entire time.

When I was on my last bit of waffle, thunder boomed so loudly that I dropped my fork in shock and let out a small yelp. Lightning flashed and the lights in the room flickered. The TV in the living room turned off and the fan slowed down. The clocks went off. We were put into darkness, our only light coming from outside.

I sighed. "When does your backup generator start working?"

Dad looked sheepish.

Oh, for the love of all that was holy. "Are you telling me that you have a multimillion dollar home and a crazy nice car and very successful construction and architectural company, but you have no generator at all?"

"Perhaps."

I shoved the last bit of my breakfast into my mouth and swallowed. "Okay, well… I might as well just start reading."

Dad got up and started searching a coat closest, and before I could even get up and go back to my room, he came back and set down a chess board in front of us. "So we never had a chance to play chess last night, so now that the power has gone out, we might as well play."

"What? I though you wanted to play checkers?"

"I decided to man up."

I was the white side and he was black. We began to play at the counter, and he actually could play. I wondered why he didn't want to. Chess was way more challenging and interesting than checkers. An idiot could play checkers. Chess was all about skill and forethought.

During high school, I had been one of the only people on the small chess team. Honestly, it just gave all the kids I knew another reason to bully me. They'd been doing so since I was a kid, but I always tried to ignore it. I got joy out of playing chess, especially since I was the best person on the team, but even my teammates made fun of me because of that.

I pushed the thoughts from my mind as we continued to play. "So, you and Percy Jackson," my dad ended up saying.

Why wouldn't he just leave the subject alone?

"He's a good kid. I've known him for a few years. I'm glad you're talking to him. He'll be good for you."

What the hell was that supposed to mean? He didn't bring it up again though.

I was surprised that within ten minutes of playing, my dad had already put me into check three times. "You're really good," I told him, moving my rook forward and putting him in check for the first time in the game. "Why don't you play?"

"I haven't played in a long time," he simply answered, and by his tone, I knew to drop the subject.

He probably had used to play all the time when he was with my mom. She was the one who had taught me how to play in the first place. Normally I would've annoyed him about it, but I didn't say anything. He went on to take my rook with his queen, and then I took his bishop with my queen. But by doing so, I opened up my queen for him to take.

"Bad move, Annie."

"You really haven't given me much of a choice." But it was all part of a set up so that I could call checkmate. I was trying my best to plan ahead.

"True." But he didn't take my queen. Instead, he slid it down the board so that it was in line with my king. And I bit back a curse. All of his pieces had been set up perfectly, and I had been too caught up in my own plans that I hadn't seen the opening. "Checkmate, dear."

"Screw you." Yeah, I said that to my father. Deal with it.

He laughed. "Well, there's only one thing to do in this kind of weather with no electricity."

"Rematch?"

"I was thinking the movies? I'll pay."

We barely made it to the car without getting drenched. My rain coat actually soaked through, proving the fact that I needed a new one. We took my dad's car and made sure that the top was up before leaving. I was glad that I wasn't in New York, because things could get crazy with this kind of weather, and not all people were the safest of drivers.

The movie theater wasn't as far away as I thought it was going to be. Dad was nice enough to drop me off right at the front of the theater so I wouldn't get too soaked. I stood next to the door and laughed as he had to run all the away from the back of the parking lot. A lot of people were at the theaters because there wasn't much to do when it was raining this much.

I looked through all the movies. Turbo, The Smurfs 2, and Planes were all for little kids and didn't draw my attention at all. There was 2 Guns, Grown Ups 2, and Red 2. Okay, I was so sick of Hollywood making stupid movie sequels. They were obviously just running out of ideas.

"How about We're the Millers?" Dad asked.

"You just want to see Jennifer Aniston as a stripper," I joked.

He gave me a knowing smile. Oh Lord…

I looked at the choices again. The Sea of Monsters looked really weird. It was all about a group of kids with mythological powers because they were demigods. They went on quests. But the weirdest part was that there was a guy named Percy and a girl named Annabeth. I wonder where the author had come up with those two names, because they weren't really that common. I'd never met another Annabeth and the first Percy that I had met was the one that I worked with. The one with the hottest body and perfect hair with dazzling green eyes…

I blinked. I was getting carried away.

"How about the Conjuring?" I asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good." He went up to the counter to buy the tickets and concessions, and I stood back, observing all of the posters. I nearly jumped out of my skin when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

I turned around. Of course it would be him.

Percy Jackson.

He was giving me the goofiest grin. Maybe I had thought about him too much and he had shown up.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, flipping my hair behind my shoulder. Percy stood there in a jacket, put he was covered in water. He was still wearing swim trunks. Did he ever take them off? Behind him was Connor, Travis, and Rachel, and when they saw me, they came closer, waving and nodding their hellos.

"What, no hello?"

I rolled my eyes. Or maybe he was a stalker. "Hello there, stranger."

"Hiya. So, what movie are you going to see?"

"The Conjuring."

"Oh, that's so weird. We were going to see that too."

"I thought we were going to go see the Wolverine," Rachel mumbled softly, so quietly that I might have heard her wrong. Percy shot her a look.

"Of course, the Smurfs looks pretty good," he admitted. My lip curled at the thought and he caught the venom in my gaze.

"What? You don't want to go see the Smurfs 2?"

I shivered. "Those little blue freaks are scary."

"Yet a horror movie is like a walk in the park? Your logic fails."

Shrugging, I turned away. My dad was watching from the other side of the movie theater with an amused expression. I resisted the urge to flip him off. "Well, my dad's waiting for me, so I gotta go."

"See you inside," he said, and I walked away.

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**That was really bad:( If you haven't seen the Conjuring, it actually isn't that scary. I saw it two weeks ago and it was pretty good. Reviews are, as always, loved. **

**-BBH**


	11. Chapter 11

**And another update… because school starts tomorrow:( Is it okay to be nervous for High School? I'm gonna be a freshman...**

**Okay, I just need to rant for a second. So, I was cleaning my room today, and I was cleaning out my overnight bag, and for some idiotic reason, I had a bottle of Herbal Essences that wasn't normal and clear, but BRIGHT blue! So I was taking stuff out, and guess what happened? MY ENTIRE BOTTLE OF SHAMPOO OPENED UP IN THE BAG AND WENT EVERYWHERE! D: The bag was full of books, clothes, and my headphones and now the bag is blue! And so are my books! I'm so upset... But my favorite FanFiction EVER (Everlasting Promises by Starblade176) was updated, so YAY:)**

***Minor spoilers for the Conjuring ahead* And clearly, this story never ended before the school year started, so it'll be going on for a while. ENJOY!**

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"So, you and Percy Jackson," my dad started off for the second time that day.

"Yes?" I asked, groaning a little bit, but only inside of my head. I didn't want it to be taken… er, wrongly.

"You two seem to get along swimmingly."

I laughed a little at the play on words, but he probably didn't get it. Then I just cleared my throat but it made me sound like I had a hairball. "I don't know what swimmingly means to you, but he's really annoying to me. He practically forced me to go out on that stupid date—"

"So it was a date?"

"With him," I finished, ignoring my dad and stealing some of his popcorn. "He seems to just pop up everywhere that I go and he knows everyone here, including you. I'm beginning to think that he is a bit of a stalker, especially now that he's somehow popped up at the movie theater the same we go, and he's going to the same movie."

"I think he just has a crush on you," my dad said simply, sipping some of his Sprite.

God, what was this, third grade? "Yeah, I highly doubt that."

"Nah, I don't think so. If he didn't like you he wouldn't have said hello to you. He would be ignoring you. And he completely ignored Rachel and paid attention to you, which is really weird, because he normally doesn't do that with her, but—"

"What do you mean?" Was there something going on between Rachel and Percy? For some reason, Jealousy waved hello to me, but I also knew that I didn't want to even get near any of that drama. And why was I even jealous? Percy and I weren't dating and our date wasn't even really a date. I kicked Jealousy in the balls and ignored it.

"Rachel and Percy were dating last year," Dad explained as we walked into our theater. "They really were a cute couple, and Rachel is a really sweet girl. I've known her longer than I've known Percy. Then, for some reason, Percy broke up with her and they decided to be 'just friends'. But everyone can tell that she still likes him, and Percy isn't one to break hearts."

Well, apparently, my dad could gossip like a dance mom. Learn something new every day, huh?

Something about what my dad said irked me. 'Just friends'? I automatically thought of Friends With Benefits. And did guys normally hang out with their exes, and go see movies with them? At least he wasn't alone, because Conner and Travis were with them. And I remember how Rachel had said that they were going to go see the Wolverine and Percy had said the Conjuring.

Jeez, as if my life weren't complicated enough…

"Anyway, Percy isn't stalking you, and if he is, it's with good intentions."

I arched a brow. "How is stalking ever with good intentions? That sounds like something a stalker would plead during a court case. 'But sir, I was only stalking her for good intentions. And kidnapping her was just an accident. It won't happen again.'"

My dad shook his head. "You're a weird child."

"You're a weird father."

"Never claimed I was normal," he answered with a shrug. But the last time I had visited him, he had been normal. WAY too normal and boring. Maybe he was turning into Walter from Breaking Bad and making drugs. "Also, Percy didn't _force_ you to do anything. Forcing you would be hog tying you and stuffing you in the back of his car and then handcuffing you to the restaurant chair. No, you chose to go out with him, and don't try to tell me any different."

I was done with this conversation. "Where do you want to sit?"

"In the back."

"Of course." I made a face. "All people over the age of thirty want to sit in the nosebleed section."

"That's because we don't feel like craning our necks up to watch the screen in the 'may get wet' section." My dad sighed and gave me my candy. "Why don't you stay down there? I'm sure your friends will want to sit with you."

"Are you sure? This was supposed to be… like, bonding time or something like that?"

He gave me a smile and a wink. "I'm sure. Just don't be too loud during the freaky, quiet scenes, alright?"

Thunder boomed outside the theater, causing me to jump. Okay, what was I thinking, seeing the Conjuring during a thunderstorm? For a second, I wanted to say that I was going to stay with my dad, but then I remembered how I wanted to try new things and not be boring. The last time I had gone to the movies not alone had been with my senior class last year to see Lincoln, and that was pretty sad.

"Okay, well, I'll see you when the movie gets out I suppose."

He grinned at me and walked up towards the back of the theater while I headed for the second row.

What if they didn't join me down here? That would be a whole lot of awkward. I would have to get up and go sit with my dad like a loner, but I wasn't going to force them to sit with me. Heck, I wasn't even going to look for them. I faced forward to the screen that kept saying to turn off all cell phones and and reached into my bag for some popcorn.

"_I will eat your soul,_" a threatening voice suddenly said into my ear.

Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't have freaked me out. But being in the movie theater that was dark, with a thunderstorm going on outside, and sitting all alone… well, it didn't do the best for me.

I let out a soft screen and my handful of popcorn flew up into the air. I nearly fell out of my seat, and then there was laughter coming from two guys that sounded just alike.

Turning around, I saw Conner and Travis trying to stifle their laughs. I gripped my seat. "Which one of you did that?" They pointed at each other and I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face. "Seriously? Evil Dead?"

"Great movie," they both said at the same time.

"Yes, it is," I sighed. They made their way to my row and Rachel and Percy just popped out of freaking nowhere. Percy sat down on my right side and Rachel sat down next to him. The twins sat on my other side. I was crammed in between everyone and I felt weird.

"So, you ready to see the Conjuring?" Percy asked. He was splitting a large popcorn with Rachel, but she didn't look that hungry. When she saw me she gave a small, nice smile, so thankfully she didn't hate me or anything, though if she did I would understand why. Perhaps she would think I was making a move on Percy, which I wasn't at all. He was still barely tolerable in my opinion, even if he looked amazing.

"Yeah," I said.

At the same time, Rachel said, "Not really."

Percy turned to Rachel. "Why? You scared?"

She giggled. "What? Is it wrong to be? You know I don't handle scary movies well. That's why I thought we were going to go see the Wolverine."

"Ah, true. Don't worry. A lot of people say this movie isn't even that scary."

Was he sure about that? I would've asked, but the lights dimmed even more and the previews came on. We all got quiet real quickly. Call me crazy, but one of my favorite parts at the movies was seeing the previews. Weird, yes, but too bad. However, one of the previews was for Insidious 2, which further explained how Hollywood was making unnecessary sequels to movies that just needed to be left alone.

When the dog died in the beginning, Rachel gasped and whispered, "That's so terrible! How could they do that?" There was a look of clear horror across her face as if that was the unimaginable.

Percy nudged her to be quiet. So Rachel one of those animal freaks? I was left to wonder that.

The movie itself wasn't that bad and I have no idea why it was rated R. I've seen PG-13 movies worse than it. There were a few jumpscares every so often that would make Rachel scream, which proved the fact that she did not handle scary movies well. Poor her.

But when any of the scary things happened and everyone in the theater gasped, including me, Percy and the other guys would just start laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. What was so funny about a poor girl getting yanked off of her bed by some freaky spirit and then screaming about how it was in the corner of the room?

Okay, when I put it like that, it did sound sort of funny.

The moment the crazy poltergeist that haunted the house popped up on top of the girl's dresser, and jumped backwards and my hand went to grip something. I couldn't even tell what it was but I was sure I was going to break it. Hey, the movie was a creepy, don't mind me. You'd be doing the same exact thing.

Percy chuckled breathlessly, and I wondered why, but then I tore my eyes off of the screen and looked down. Of course, just because nothing would ever be easy for me.

I was gripping his hand, which was lying on the armrest.

Kill. Me. Now.

I let go very quickly and turned away. Thank God the theater was dark and so was the screen, but I could feel my cheeks flush. Out of nowhere, Percy leaned over and whispered into my ear, "If you wanted to hold my hand, all you had to do was ask." I stiffened, and then his hand shot out and gripped my, our fingers lacing. "And if you want to cuddle, I'm all for that too."

I swear, in that moment, I couldn't move. I didn't know what to do. I knew I was supposed to pull my hand away and say sorry for the confusion and leave me alone, but his hand felt so good in my own. All of my self control slipped away and I kept out hands intertwined, but there was no way I was cuddling with him. Not in this life time.

Besides, I blamed the Conjuring for the whole 'holding hands' thing, anyway.

The only part that got to me and the others was when the idiot mother open up the basement door and told whoever was down there to get out.

"I can see this is going to end well," Percy muttered quietly, and he gave my hand a quick squeeze.

Travis and Conner were glued to the screen, mouths hanging open like dogs. Rachel was hiding her face behind her hands, occasionally peeking out to see what was going on. Percy was relaxed lazily in his chair, chewing away on M&Ms. As for me… well, I was watching them and the screen. I thought the movie was more interesting than scary.

Long story short, the door shut and 'something' pushed her all the way down the stairs, and she got hurt. Of course, there was no flashlight and only a few matches and she lit one. Then, some hands popped out behind her into the light. The voice whispered, "Wanna play hide and clap?" and then proceeded to clap twice and the light went out. That was the only part that got to me.

Well, that and then ending where they were trying to perform the exorcism and the crazy possessed lady was coughing up blood everywhere. That was a bit disturbing.

When the movie was finally over, we sat through credits while everyone else in the theater left. I saw my dad pass by to leave, brows arched_. Nice_, he mouthed, before leaving.

Finally I let go of Percy's hand and cringed when I felt how sweaty my palms were. I felt like a nervous wreck. If Percy cared, he didn't show it. He didn't say a thing until all of the other people had left the theater and our group was all alone.

"Well, that was a good movie," he said cheerfully.

"I think I'm scarred for life," moaned Rachel. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."

"I liked it," one of the twins said. I think it was Travis.

"Yeah, it was pretty good, but not as scary as I thought it was going to be," Conner said.

Percy turned to me as I stood up, taking a bite of his popcorn. "What did you think of the movie, Wise Girl?"

"It was okay, I guess. Not as good as I thought it was going to be, but still pretty interesting. Makes me want to be a paranormal investigator and what not. But it really wasn't that scary." I finished off my soda and threw it into a trash can as we walked out of the theater. I guess every movie ended at the same time, because we were caught up in a giant crowd of people.

"Not that scary, huh?" Percy asked. "Tell that to my hand. I can still barely feel it."

Well, shit on a shingle.

The look on my face must've said it all, because he nudged me. "I'm just teasing you. I really didn't mind. I actually kind of liked it." And once again, his hand snaked out, and I thought he was going to hold my hand again, but instead he grabbed my phone out of my back pocket.

"Hey, give it back!" I reached for it, but he was taller than I was, so he held it out of my reach.

"Just gimme a second!" He typed for about a minute and then gave it back to me. "I put my contact in there, so if you ever need to contact me then you know how to. I'll always answer and talk for any reason, you can count on that."

Before I could say anything, he said, "See you tomorrow, Annabeth!" and walked away to join his friends. They waved at me before leaving the theater.

For a second I stood there, not knowing what to do. When a voice went, "_Wanna play hide and clap_?" and someone clapped twice next to my face, I nearly lost my marbles as I turned around to hit the person. For some reason I was expecting it to be one of the twins, especially after the whole Evil Dead thing, but it was actually my dad, smiling at me.

"So... you guys are holding hands now?"

"Leave me alone," I muttered, walking outside and towards the car. I didn't even care about the rain anymore. It felt pretty good and I felt really hot.

I sat down in the passenger's seat and put my wet head in my hands, and set my phone down in my lap.

It was still on the screen that said, "_New Contact Added-Percy Jackson."_

* * *

**So… what character do you want to be introduced next? Nico, Thalia, Reyna, Hazel, Frank, Octavian, etc? Reviews are appreciated! **

****ATTENTION!** The Government is planning to remove FanFiction and other related sites due to copyright, which majorly sucks hairy donkey butt! Sign this petition to help stop it (I already did!):**

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**-BBH**


	12. Chapter 12

**High school sucks so far… but all we're doing in English right now is Greek Mythology, so I feel like a freaking genius.**

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The power was back on when we got home, and after an hour of torrential rain, it completely stopped and the sun began to shine. It was late in the afternoon when my dad said he was going outside to do yard work, and you want to know how productive I was?

I was still staring at Percy's contact number.

I'm a failure in life; I'll just go ahead and admit it. How in the world could one stupid little phone number from some guy that I may or may not even like effect me so much? I had no idea. After the entire episode at the movie theater, I was unsure of why he still wanted to talk to me. I gripped his hand like a sissy and he was there with his ex girlfriend Rachel, and they seemed to be getting along mighty fine.

Finally, at around four o'clock, I decided I needed to do something with my life. No, I wasn't going to text him. Why would I even need to? I threw myself off of the couch and stalked into the kitchen. Grabbing a box of Ritz crackers, I walked to my room and started eating them while listening to random music, watching Spongebob, and reading an old Stephen King novel.

But nothing could distract me from the contact on my phone, beckoning me to talk to Jackson.

I glanced outside. The sun was still fairly high in the sky and water dripped off of the windows and plants. I could faintly hear the mower from out front, which meant that my dad was cutting the lawn.

I wondered what Percy, Rachel, Conner, and Travis were doing right now. I was going to have to face Percy tomorrow and no doubt he would talk all about the holding hands thing. How was I supposed to face that?

My cheeks were bright red just thinking about it. I went back to reading my book and listening to a screaming sponge in the background with some Jimmy Buffet singing about how he loved Junior Mints and didn't want any of the other junkie movie theater food.

Sighing, I went for a handful of Ritz, but my hand came back up empty. So, I was also eating away the feelings.

Out of the blue, my phone dinged, and I checked the message. It was from Leo and read, _Don't blame me!_

What the heck was that supposed to mean? I was about to ask, but then my phone dinged again and I checked the new message. My heart skidded to a stop before deciding to take on gymnastics.

New Message—Percy Jackson.

My fingers were shaking as I clicked on it.

_Hey Gurl HEY!_

What the hell? How did he get my freaking number? I know he gave me his, but he wasn't supposed to have mine. Maybe he was a stalker and this was all part of his plan to kidnap me… or maybe I just needed to stop reading so many books. I quickly responded with,_ How'd U get my #?!_

His response was immediate._ Leo._

I bit back a curse. So that was what Leo had meant. I was going to have to have a serious talk with that boy tomorrow about people's privacy._ What do U want?_

_Can't a guy just say hey?_

I doubted that was the reason he was talking to me, but I was very curious as to why he was. Was he still with his group of friends? Probably not. I guessed that he was with Leo, because that made sense, but hey, this guy never failed to surprise me._ Srsly Bro?_

_Ok I was wondering if U want 2 go 2 the beach 2nite_

Someone call 911 because I was having a heart attack. Was this a date? Because he had said the whole 'going out to eat' thing wasn't a date, but like I said, Percy never failed to surprise me. I wanted to ask if it was just us two or if there would be other people, but I didn't know what to do. Common sense jumped out the window and got ran over by an eighteen wheeler.

I should've just texted back a simple no. I should've been more skeptical. We'd gone out to eat and worked together for a day. We'd held hands during a scary movie a few hours ago, and yet he was now asking me to go to the beach?

I hadn't been to the beach yet and I still had no idea how to get to it. All I could end up texting back was,_ 2nite?_

_Yeah, _came the response, followed by _**;)**_.

_Uhhh gimme a sec. _

_Ok. _After he said that I threw the phone down on my bed and start pacing. The weirdest part was that I actually wanted to go to the beach with him, partly because I hadn't been yet, and partly because… well, I couldn't finish the thought.

I went over to the window and undid it. Once it was open I leaned out and saw dad trimming plants. "DAD!" I yelled.

He stopped and looked up. "What?"

"Is it cool if I go to the beach tonight?" I tried to keep it vague and hoped that he wouldn't catch on to what I was doing.

"Whatever," he replied and went back to the plants. Well, that was easier than I thought.

Closing the window, I grabbed my phone again. Now, I easily could've just told Percy that I wasn't available and that I had something going on, or that I just didn't want to. But it was like my brothers with the whole 'Summer Love' ringtone. And I wanted to go to the beach. _I guess I can go. What time?_

_Cool. I'll pick U up at around 6:30. _

WHAT? Okay, that wasn't part of the deal. Now my dad was going to patronize me even more._ Wait what? No I'll drive myself there._

_Fine… so where R we going?_

Percy—1. Annabeth—0. He had a point, but that made me nervous. I didn't know where we were going._ *le sigh* point taken._

_Exactly! I'll pick U up._

_R U sure?_

There was no response after that. "Dammit," I said as I checked the clock. It was already six. What? Where had the time gone? I closed the book and shut of the music and TV before tearing through all of my clothes. I had half an hour to get ready, which should've been more than enough time, but it was freaking out once more, all because of one guy.

Eventually, I was having to decide between two bathing suits. There was a red one-piece and a blue and gray bikini.

Decisions like this shouldn't have been hard, but for some reason, they meant everything.

Back in New York, my mom had bought me the blue and gray bikini, hoping I would come out of my shell and wear it out to the pool like all of the other girls. My mom really just wanted me to fit in with all of the other kids, and she would do anything to make sure that happened, including buying all of the clothes, makeup, and accessories.

So, my mom and I never really had the best relationship.

Well, I never wore that bikini. I'd always wear the red one-piece because it was conservative, and all of the girls at the pool would always stop whatever they were doing to whisper and stare at me. I shivered at the memories and clutched the red one piece harder.

But then I remembered that Naples was a new start and no one really new me. I needed to be different. I didn't want to be judged. I didn't need to be accepted, but I didn't want to have to live through the stares and gossip again.

I threw the one-piece down on the ground and slipped on the bikini. What did I have to lose?

I pulled on some shorts and an ancient t shirt. I ran downstairs with my phone and smeared on sunscreen all over my body, not wanting to get any more burned that I already was. I slipped on some flip flops and started force feeding a protein bar as some sort of dinner.

I checked the time on the microwave. 6:25.

I left my house and started walking towards the gate. I didn't want Percy waiting out there or somehow getting inside and then having a conversation with my dad. Really, I didn't. As I passed my dad, I heard him say, "Tell Percy I said hello."

Well, apparently he was smarter than I thought. I didn't say anything as I continued up to the gate. I reached it at the same time as Percy did. His car rolled up as I slipped past the gate. I jumped in. He was sitting there, still in a shirt and swim trunks, his black hair disheveled and green eyes twinkling.

And he was completely alone. No Leo, Rachel, Conner, Travis, or anyone. Butterflies made nests in my stomach and he probably could hear my heart pounding. I was nervous and excited. I wanted to see the beach, but it was also the fact that I was going to the beach with someone as hot as him…

Whoa. Where were these hormonal thoughts coming from? I didn't like Percy. We weren't friends. Or were we?

"Hey, Wise Girl, ready to go to the beach?" he asked as he pulled away from my house.

"Sure," I answered, turning up the radio. Bohemian Rhapsody was on.

He grinned at me. "Yes, this is a great song," he agreed and turned it up even louder.

"_I see a little silhouetto of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango? Thunderbolt and lightning, very, very frightening me. Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo, Galileo Figaro. Magnifico. I'm just a poor boy and nobody loves me. He's just a poor boy from a poor family. Spare him his life from this monstrosity."_

It was kind of weird, but we sang the song together really badly, and it felt… right.

Not that I'd ever admit it.

Once the song was done, Percy said, "So, has the Conjuring been giving you any scares yet?"

"Not really. My dad's been trying to scare me a little. What about you?"

He laughed. "No. I have nerves of steel, unlike you who tries to suffocate hands."

I really wished that he would stop making fun of me because of that. It was a moment of weakness. He nudged me. "Like I said before, I'm just kidding. I'm like that. At least you weren't with Leo. He would never let it go. Ever. It'd be written on your grave, and that isn't a lie."

Yeah, well, Hallelujah.

"Anyway, you'll love this place. The water out in the Gulf is crystal clear. The sand is perfect. The sun never seems to get to hot. The people for the most part are great. There are no waves at all. It's perfect for relaxing, you know?"

I couldn't wait to get there.

"Of course, I like to relax, but I am ADHD, so that gets old after a while. I've lived in Daytona Beach for a long time and I love it there because I like to surf, though sometimes Cocoa Beach is better for that. Have you ever been surfing before?"

I shook my head. "I never really have a chance to in New York. The water is usually pretty cold, so I usually just go to the pool."

"That's sad. I'll have to teach you how to surf sometime. It's a lot of fun."

I'd probably end up breaking my neck. Yeah, just as fun as Christmas morning.

Soon, we were pulling up to the Waldorf Astoria.

Before I could ask him any questions, he said, "We're going to go to the beach this way. It's private and beautiful in this spot. You said that you haven't been to the beach yet?" Had I said that? I couldn't keep track of what I was telling him, so I just nodded. "Well, I'm glad I get to be with you for your first time, and this area is awesome. Better than all the rest."

He snatched two towels out of the back of his car. "Well, let's get this show on the road!"

He parked the car and we walked out and into the hotel and through the pool area into a whole new spot that I hadn't seen before. It was like a long boardwalk completely closed off by the trees so that you could barely see it. The trees had vines and branches that built a canopy. It looked so awesome, with little streams of water and sand below it. I could see little crabs scurrying around and hear birds fly. The entire sight brought a smile to my face.

"I never saw this part of the hotel," I told him, fidgeting with my shirt end.

"Yeah, well, this is how you get out to the beach." When I began to walk, he stopped me. "No, they have a cart that takes you there. We just have to wait a minute for it to get here."

I could only nod, and as I was doing so, I could hear the sound of wheels approaching.

And two voices arguing.

"Damn, Thalia, when are you going to let me drive?" said a guy's voice.

"Fine, Nico. We'll do rock paper scissors next time. Happy?" a girl said.

"I'm never happy."

The big, eight-seater golf cart pulled up to the edge of the boardwalk. Two people were sitting in the front seats, glaring at each other. They both had blackish hair, like Percy's. The guy had dark eyes and an olive complexion, and looked a little younger than the girl beside him, who had spiky black hair, piercings, and piercing blue eyes. Even though they were both wearing the standard attire for the workers here, with the white shirts and everything, there was something dark about both of them, like they had just walked out of a Black Veil Brides concert.

They quit their arguing. "Hey Percy," the guy said.

"What up, Kelp Head?" the girl said with a devilish grin.

Percy waved to both of them. "Thalia, Nico, this is Annabeth Chase. Annabeth, this is Thalia Grace and Nico di Angelo."

"Oh, you're the new waitress?" Thalia asked. I nodded and she gave a quick laugh. "I tried to be a waitress once, but the people pissed me off so much that I ended up dumping a plate of spaghetti on a guy's head. Needless to say, I'm doing this job now."

"I can totally see you doing that," Nico muttered.

"Yeah?" Thalia asked, her voice dangerous now. "Well, I can totally see myself shoving my fist up your—"

"Okay, guys," Percy interjected. "Can you take us to the beach?"

"Yes, we can take you to the beach. No, we can't take you to Oz," Nico answered sarcastically.

"Awesome." Percy and I hopped into the back of the cart. "Now, down the yellow brick road!" Nico shot Percy a dirty look.

As the cart started to pull and zoom over the wooden planks, Percy leaned over and whispered in my ear, "I can't wait to see you in a bathing suit."

I swallowed and cursed my stupid bikini. As if he knew what was going through my mind, he laughed and pulled away, relaxing lazily into his seat, looking like the perfect guy, with his tan skin and bright smile, his muscular arms and toned legs, his sea green eyes and...

And what was happening to me?

* * *

**Well, y'all voted for Thalia and Nico like crazy, so here ya go! Question: Do you guys want Thalico love or not? I personally don't like Thalico, but I'll write it if you guys want it. **

**Hm, the next chapter is going to be fun to write:) Reviews are loved! **

**-BBH**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay… I am REALLY sick of school already… Anyone else? Or is it me?**

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We zoomed underneath the canopy of trees, faster than I thought the cart could go. My hair flailed behind me, just like my heart flailed in my chest.

Yeah, cheesy but true.

Percy sat beside me, tapping his foot and looking at everything except for me. My cheeks were still flushed from his comment, and once again I wished for my conservative one piece, but it wasn't like the bathing suit fairy was going to fly down and change anything. I was stuck like this.

Damn. My eyes slide over him again, and it should be illegal for someone to look that good. I was at the beach, but I could've sworn that the sandy ocean water smell was rolling off of him. He turned, and his gaze met my own. He arched a brow and I turned away quickly.

In front of us, Thalia and Nico were arguing with each other over stupid things.

"I just don't understand why someone would want to read the Great Gatsby!" Thalia exclaimed.

"Because the book is amazing, how about that?" Nico hissed, shoving a hand through his messy hair. I couldn't see their faces, but I could just imagine the glares they were giving each other. A small smile crept across my face for some reason, and I had no idea why.

"Huh, I liked the movie. The book was so boring and confusing."

"That's because you don't know a good thing when you see it!" And now, I wasn't really good on the whole dating thing, but I was pretty sure, that there was a deeper meaning to those words that I wasn't supposed to understand. Did they have a history together? I would have to ask Percy about that later and see if he knew anything, and I was pretty sure he did. He knew everyone.

Actually, everyone knew everyone. I was just the new girl that was meeting everyone.

Thalia laughed at him like he was the stupidest guy in the world. Percy rubbed a hand over his face like he was used to this. "Here we go again," he muttered quietly, so quietly that I wasn't even sure if I had heard him correctly.

"Movies are always better than books," she told him.

"Correction: Books are always better than movies," Nico told her.

Thalia, who was still driving, turned around and looked at me. I gripped the seat tighter, because I really didn't feel like dying in this fashion. "So, Annabeth, what do you think is better? The Great Gatsby movie or book?"

"Jeez, Thalia, put your hands on the steering wheel!" Percy said.

Rolling her eyes, she turned around and began to drive again. My grip eased up. "Well, personally, I like books better than movies," I told her. "I always have. The Great Gatsby especially, though I though the movie by itself was good. Still made me cry and everything."

"HA!" Nico laughed. "Thank you!"

"What about you Percy?" Thalia asked.

"Well," Percy started. "Considering I don't read that much, I'll have to go with movies."

"That doesn't count," Nico told Thalia. "Percy doesn't like to read so he doesn't have anything to base his judgment off of." Thalia stiffened like they were about to get into a huge fight, but then she rolled the cart to a stop. I noticed that there was an opening in the trees and steps that led to sand and a small surf shop. I recalled Leo telling me that Conner and Travis worked there.

"Off you go!" Thalia said, and Percy and I got off and watched as they zoomed away, still arguing with each other.

I turned to Percy, getting ready to ask him about them, but he beat me to it. "Nico and Thalia have a complicated relationship. First they hated each other, then they became friends, then they dated, then they broke up and hated each other, and the cycle goes on and on. I think they're just going to stay friends, or whatever they are now, but you never know."

"How old are they?"

"They're both twenty," he answered.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Nico looks younger than that."

Percy laughed, and I just loved the sound. "Never say that to his face. It'll piss him off to no end. They're both twenty, though Thalia is a little older than he is." Out of the blue, Percy took hold of my hand. "Come on, let's get down to the beach. I can't wait for you to see this!"

Threading our fingers together, he pulled me along and I stumbled after him. We passed by the shop and all of the crazy tourists with their over the top beach things. They toted umbrellas and coolers and tents. Little kids ran around screaming with buckets full of sand and melted popsicles. Teenagers around my age or younger were doing Snapchat and Vine. College kids were getting drunk.

We passed by some outdoor showers that had pools of water and sand underneath them. As the wood started to change into sand, I took my shoes off. "Where the hell is the beach?"

"Patience is key," he said.

I shot him a look.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I don't have any patience either, but don't worry. We're pretty close."

And he was right, because in the next second my feet were completely on the very soft sand. It felt luxurious between my toes and I let out a soft sigh. Percy gave me a grin. "It's great, isn't it? Wait until you see the water."

And then, we were on the small, secluded shore. There weren't that many people out, just a few lying on their towels, trying to sun bathe. No one was in the ocean, and that was freaking insane. I gazed out at the water, which was the most beautiful shade of aqua. There weren't really any waves, but the water rolled against the shore softly. There wasn't any noise but the ones of nature. Everything was so calm.

"This is beautiful," I told him, and I could barely recognize my own voice.

He smiled at me, and I smiled back at him. Then he slipped off his own shoes and reached down to the hem of his shirt, pulling up and over his head. I stifled my gasp as I saw his well muscled torso. You'd think after seeing it so often it wouldn't affect me. But that sight was just so… wow. I was blushing like a twelve year old watching Breaking Dawn. Good grief.

Percy dropped his towel and ran off into the water until it reached his hips. "Annabeth!" he called. "Are you gonna just stand there. We don't have that long, because I have to get you home soon before your dad thinks I've kidnapped you. Get in here while the sun is still up and the water is still warm."

The sun was barely up in the sky now and setting very fast. I put my phone and towel on the ground. I took a deep breath and shrugged off my shorts and took my shirt off so that I was just standing there in my gray and blue bikini, but I felt naked and I crossed my arms over my chest. I approached the water slowly and I was surprised by how warm it actually was. It was like stepping into a bath.

I kept going in until the water hit my waist and I was close to Percy. He was staring at me, his eyes trailing up and down my figure. The self conscious feeling was still there. "What?" I demanded, my voice harsher than I meant it to be.

He blinked and looked at me directly. "Nothing, you're just so…"

"What?"

"So… beautiful."

Holy Trapezoid. Way to be straightforward. But a zing shot through my body from the tips of my toes to my beaming face. He said I was beautiful, and suddenly, I felt fine wearing this bikini. Still shy, but not as much as before.

"Uh, thanks," I tried.

Percy grabbed my hand and started pulling me into deeper water, until the salty ocean went up to my neck. I looked down. I could see the sand beneath me. The water was crystal clear, and I saw a little crab scurrying along the sand and then burying itself.

He raised his arms over his head and then, with perfect grace, dove beneath the surface. Percy sliced through the water and swam thirty yards away from me and then back, all with a single breath. When he resurfaced again, there was a wicked gleam in his eyes.

I fell backwards and started to do a backstroke through the water and Percy swam along beside me. When I stopped, we were so far out that I had to tread water. I went under briefly so that all of my hair would be wet before coming back up. Percy swam in circles around me, the biggest smile on his face. He looked younger and so carefree.

"Thanks for coming out here with me," Percy said. "It makes all the difference when someone is with you."

"You're welcome," I told him. "I'm glad I came." And then we freestyled it back to shallow water. Once my feet touched the ground again, he splashed me with water, and it was like a tidal wave went over my head. "Oh, it's on." And that led to a splash war for who knows how long. But it was fun. We entertained ourselves for at least an hour, doing random things.

I was glad I came out to the ocean with Percy. The Gulf was beautiful, and being with him was just a lot of fun. More than I had thought it was going to be. We laughed and told jokes and everything just seemed so normal, like we'd known each other our entire lives. We talked about stupid things, like YouTube and movies and sports.

At one point, Percy reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and the gesture was just too sweet. Percy and I had only met a few days ago, but everything with him was just so natural. And to think, I was going to see him all summer long.

For some reason, Percy started chasing me, and we started playing tag in the water. He was so much faster than me but I tried my best and stayed away from him. It was freaking hard to run in the water. I imagined myself looking like a Bond Girl, rising out of the water and running along the surf, though I'm pretty sure that I looked like I was Honey Boo Boo.

Too bad. I was having too much fun to care.

For some reason, the sand was slippery in one place, and then it happened.

I screamed as I slipped on the sand and started falling face forward into the ocean. It was only about two feet deep, and the sand was soft, so I wasn't about to hurt myself. I don't even know why I screamed, but the water was fast approaching and I threw my hands out in front of me to catch myself.

A muscled arm snaked around my waist from behind me, lightning fast, and I was turned and pulled forward, away from the water, and my hands landed on a toned chest. My legs tangled with someone else's and my scream ended in my throat. I forced my eyes upward as they met a pair of intense green ones.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked, his voice husky.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't freaking move. Our faces were an inch apart as he looked down at me, eyes hooded. I was panting and struggling for each meager breath that I took. We were both frozen in this position, his arms around me and my hands against his chest. The water lapped at our legs, and it was like we were the only people in the entire world.

His gaze went down to my lips and my heart leapt into my throat. I swear, in that moment, I had never wanted anything more in my life than to feel Percy's lips on mine. I wanted to kiss Percy Jackson and run my hands through his soft black hair. I wanted him to keep his arms around me.

I wanted him to be my first kiss.

But we just stayed there, staring at each other. The sun had gone down and the world around us was getting darker. Many people had left the beach, and we were practically alone in the oh so intimate moment. I had no idea what to do. He looked at me desperately, searching my eyes for answers, a yes or no.

I hoped that they said yes.

And then, Percy released me and took a step back. My feet landed in the water, but he kept his hands on my waist as if he were afraid I was going to fall over. "Are you okay, Wise Girl?" he asked again, his eyes looking all over my body for some sort of harm.

I found my voice. "Yeah, I'm okay." Shit, my voice cracked. I couldn't help but feel disappointment bubble up inside of me. I really thought that he was going to kiss me. I really wanted him to. Tears pooled behind my closed eyes for a second, for some stupid reason, and I pushed them back. Crying would get me nowhere. That's when it struck me.

I liked Percy Jackson. I'd only known him for a few days, and somehow I already liked as more than a friend.

I needed a reality check.

Life was never going to be like a happy song. There was no such thing as 'Summer Love'. Love stories only existed in book and movies. I needed to keep it real.

"God, Annabeth, you scared me half to death. I thought…" he trailed off, not knowing what to say. I wasn't sure what he was going to say. Awkwardness hung in the air like a blanket trying to suffocate me. Things weren't going to be normal between us. And he still had to drive me home. Maybe I would have to ask my dad to come and get me. Right now, I just wanted to be left alone.

But there was still that ache inside of me, and I still wanted to kiss Percy, but that clearly wasn't going to happen.

Percy looked around. Now, everyone had gone and we actually completely alone on the beach, in the water. I wanted to hang my head in shame. I really was a loser. I'd screamed because I'd almost fallen down in the water. I mentally slapped myself.

I started getting out of the ocean and I walked up to the shore, keeping my back turned and not meeting his stare. I reached down and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around me and trying to dry myself off. I was over reacting but I was so flipping embarrassed. I didn't know what to do anymore.

"Hey," Percy's voice said behind me. I turned around and kept my head down, my hair shielding my face. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" His voice was laced with concern. I shook my head.

"Then what is it? You were so happy a moment ago."

I couldn't tell him. What was I supposed to say? I wanted to ask him why he didn't kiss me, because in that moment it seemed like he wanted to. Couldn't he see that I was embarrassed? Couldn't he just leave me alone? So I just shrugged, stared at my feet, and clutched the towel tighter.

Somehow, Percy's hand cupped my chin so that I would look him in the eyes. He was so much closer than I thought he was. The only part of us that touched was his hand to my face, but I could feel the heat rolling off of him, and once again, I just wanted to kiss him. His hair was a crazy, perfect mess, and his green eyes were as perfect as always, thought a little bemused.

"Annabeth," he whispered.

I seriously needed that reality check. I repeated that over and over in my mind.

He leaned in closer so that his forehead touched mine. His hand slid over to cup my cheek, and I clutched the towel for dear life. Was I dreaming? This seemed too unreal to be true. We'd only just met. How could I know that I liked him?

I don't know, but I did.

And then, his lips brushed mine, so softly that it was like a feather. I was frozen still. I had never kissed anyone before and I didn't know what to do. His lips brushed over mine again, more insistent, and I found myself clumsily kissing him back, and it was just too perfect to be true.

We stood there and kissed over and over again, and I swear, there would never be a moment more perfect that this.

* * *

**My insides are all happy. I wanted to write something happy:) Review maybe?**

**-BBH**


	14. Chapter 14

**Want to be scared shitless? I dare you to go watch PewDiePie's Outlast gameplay. It's giving me nightmares. No lie. **

* * *

When Percy pulled away, I finally began to breathe again.

I still couldn't believe that we had gone from swimming in the ocean to awkwardness to kissing. Now, he was my first kiss, so I really didn't have anything to judge it off of, but it seemed pretty awesome to me. I wondered if everyone's first kiss was as amazing as that.

Percy wasn't that far away from me now, and he had this perfect, tentative smile on his face. My lips felt swollen, and the moon was beginning to shine. My towel had dropped to the ground so that I was just standing there in my bathing suit. Percy's hand delicately cupped my cheeks and he eased a piece of my wet hair behind my ear.

"I can't believe I just did that," he breathed out softly, as if he was out of breath.

Then I realized that I was panting like I had run a marathon. Maybe I was out of shape. Waiting tables and occasional swims didn't really cut it out. Percy looked at me like he was expecting me to say something, but I couldn't form words. What did he want me to say?

Hell, I had really enjoyed it, but after people kiss doesn't that usually mean… relationship? And if not, then it's just really weird and they stop seeing each other. I didn't want that to happen. I'd finally admitted to myself that I liked Percy, which was completely asylum-style insane since we had just met each other, but I couldn't deny the feeling.

There were butterflies fluttering throughout my entire body, and I felt like I had just drank ten Red Bull's. My knees, however, were weak and I felt like I was going to collapse at any moment, and that would just add on to the possible weirdness.

Oh no… what if Percy regretted the kiss? Why did he kiss me anyway? Does he like me too?

For some reason, I remembered how he said he didn't date girls that often because he was looking for the right one. I gulped, and suddenly my high came crashing down and I felt like I was going to pass out.

I swayed to the side a little and Percy noticed in a heartbeat. His hands shot out and gripped my shoulders, steadying me. "Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, his hands still on my shoulders, making sure I wasn't going to fall.

Finally, I found my voice. "Yeah, I'm okay, I think."

Was I? Was I really okay? I didn't know. Right now, I wanted to do a bunch of things. I wanted to kiss him again, I wanted to ask him why he had kissed me, I wanted to go home and cry into a pillow, and I wanted to sleep. I wanted a friend that I could talk to about how confused I was. Maybe I would try to talk to Leo.

"I'm sorry for kissing you… I just…" he trailed off, unsure of himself.

So he did regret it?

It was as if Katniss had nailed me in the heart. Why did he even kiss me in the first place? I wanted to say something mean, or witty, but nothing came to mind. For some reason, I ended up saying, "That was my first kiss."

Insert face palm here.

Percy's mouth dropped open and then closed again quickly. He ran a hand through his messy hair. "I keep forgetting that you've never had a boyfriend."

"Why is that?" I asked quietly, staring down at my feet.

"Because you're… you…"

I looked him in the eyes and arched a brow. Crossing my arms over my chest, I questioned, "What's that supposed to mean?" I said it jokingly, wanting all of this strange stuff between us to fade away, but I really was curious. I try to be myself, and pardon me if I haven't had a boyfriend. But I didn't need a constant reminder that I was forever alone.

He gave me a tiny grin. "You're gorgeous, Annabeth, and your funny and sweet and incredibly smart. You're anything and everything a guy could want in a girl, and yet you're still single. It's just really hard to believe you know? I don't even see how it's possible. I've only just met you and… wow…" His grin spread from ear to ear as he looked down at me.

I bent down and grabbed my towel, wrapping it around me again. "So, what do we do now?"

I needed to know. Were we a couple? Were we friends with benefits? Or were we still just friends? Clearly he didn't regret it, and my heart had healed again. I liked him and I wanted to date him, whatever that entailed. But it would be crazy if I told him that, right? Wasn't it supposed to be the guy that asked the girl out, or did I just read too many romance novels?

Who was I kidding? Life was a love story! I didn't love Percy… I just liked him.

"What do we do?" he repeated. "Well, Annabeth, I don't know what you're getting at. I was going to suggest going back to my car so that I can drive you home, but are you talking about something else?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Holy Hell, my face probably looked like Clifford. "I mean… what happens with us… and?" Kill. Me. I was making this entire situation worse than it already was. Was it bad?

"I was just teasing you. Well, Wise Girl, I'd really like to date you, but that's only if you feel comfortable dating me. And if not, then my feelings won't be hurt, I understand. I mean, you've never dated anyone before and… I am totally rambling right now." His face probably matched mine right now.

Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes I wanted to say. But my voice decided to hibernate again. Some being amount of bravery was injected into my body, and I took a step forward and gave him a quick kiss on his lips, hoping that he understood that it meant yes. I had meant for the kiss to be short, but he totally took it there, slanting his head to the side and making it deeper. I gasped.

I could feel his smile. "I like this answer," he whispered against my lips. I did too.

We separated and he took my hand. "C'mon," he said. "It's getting late, and I don't want my girlfriend's father thinking the worst."

Girlfriend? Holy shit on a shingle! My inner fangirl had muscles spasms and speech impediment issues. Yeah, I had a fangirl inside of me now. Percy needed to put a shirt back on. I snatched my phone and things off of the ground and quickly put my clothes back on as he did the same. When we got back to the boardwalk, the cart was just pulling up.

Thalia and Nico were bickering still, but they stopped when they saw us. "Looks like someone took the happy pill," Nico muttered, his gaze flickering between the two of us.

What can I say? I was completely and utterly joyful right now. I felt like I had just won the lottery. Percy's face matched what I felt. We sat down in the back and held hands. His thumb skimmed over my knuckles over and over again, and I couldn't remember being this happy.

So much had happened in one day… not even a day, actually. Just those few hours Percy and I had spent together had changed so much. We'd gone from friends to flirtatious friends to friends making out to unsure friends to boyfriend and girlfriend. Jesus Christ on Crutches, I was mentally exhausted, but I wanted to stay with Percy. I didn't feel like going home, but I was pretty sure that my dad wouldn't appreciate me having a little sleep over with Percy.

Nico and Thalia continued to argue over Xbox's and Playstation's, but I didn't even feel like getting into the argument. I felt like I was in my own personal bubble, and when Percy leaned over and kissed me on the corner of my mouth, my insides melted.

We walked back to his car and the first song that came on the radio was Call Me Maybe. I sighed.

But then, Percy turned towards me while driving and went,_ "HEY I JUST MET YOU AND THIS IS CRAZY, BUT HERE'S MY NUMBER, SO CALL ME MAYBE?" _He did all of the hand motions and everything, and I couldn't help but laugh at him.

"You're laugh is so cute," he told me.

And you're body is very sexy. I almost said that, but I stopped myself. I didn't want him to think he was man candy.

Too soon he was pulling up in my driveway. He leaned across the center console and kissed me again, and my toes curled. His still-wet hair got my forehead damp. "I'll see you tomorrow, Annabeth," he told me, giving my hand another reassuring squeeze before he hopped out of the car and opened my door.

Sliding out, I gave him a big hug. "See you tomorrow, Percy." I pecked his cheek, and I went inside.

Dad was sitting by the TV in the living room, reading the newspaper. He didn't even look up as I passed by in my post-kiss bliss, but I heard him ask, "So, what base is he on now?"

I groaned and he laughed.

Once I got into bed and got out the Odyssey once more, I tried to read about Scylla and Charybdis, but I was so distracted by Percy, even though he wasn't even in my room.

I'd only been in Naples for a few days, and I already had a boyfriend. A boyfriend!

And his name was Percy Jackson.

* * *

**I'm sorry for it being short. I didn't know what to write but I wanted to update for you guys. Reviews are really loved!**

**-BBH**


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